Hot Chocolate 5K & 10K

Blast Running are back at Gypsy Brae Recreation Ground on Sunday 22 November for the Hot Chocolate 5K & 10K, a pair of winter races that run side by side. The start is at 11:00am, and you can pick your distance: a 5km or a 10km. Both follow the same flat course along the waterfront promenade at Silverknowes, right beside the Firth of Forth estuary, so it's a good spot for a run with a view. Because it's completely flat, it's also suitable for buggy and wheelchair racing.

Blast Running is an Edinburgh race organiser with a portfolio that goes from 5km to full marathon, all chip-timed on road and trail. This one is pitched for everyone, whether you're brand new to running or chasing a personal best, with fellow runners cheering you on as you go. The reward at the finish line is a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up, which is where the name comes from. It's a Scottish Athletics licensed event, so you'll get chip timing and your results will be submitted to Run Britain Rankings, and there are age-category prizes for the first male and female in each group.

Organiser Kirstin L has built the event around two causes close to her heart, Cancer Card and the Bowelbabe Fund. This 2026 edition follows a soggy but cheerful inaugural running in November 2025, when more than 450 people signed up and over 380 ran despite the rain. The venue is Gypsy Brae Recreation Ground, 50 W Shore Rd, Edinburgh, EH5 1QD.

Entry is £13 for the 5K and £18 for the 10K, with a £2 saving on each for Scottish Athletics members. There are reduced rates for younger runners: £5 for the 5K for ages 11-17, and £5 for the 10K for ages 15-17. You can also add an optional finisher's medal for £6.50.