Almost 60 people treated by paramedics during Edinburgh marathon heatwave

Dozens of runners and spectators were treated by paramedics during the Edinburgh Marathon Festival over the weekend, including 16 who were taken to hospital.

Thousands of runners raced from Edinburgh to East Lothian in the sweltering heat on Sunday as part of the half marathon, marathon and team relay events.

Marathoners battled temperatures over 20C as they ground out the 26.2-mile route, which starts in the city centre before following the coast out to Gosford House, then turning back to Musselburgh.

Festival organisers said a record-breaking 40,000 runners took part across the weekend, which also included a 5k, 10k and a junior race.

They said a total of £8.4 million had been raised for charity.

Runners had been warned prior to the event of the hot weather forecast for the bank holiday weekend.

Water was in high demand as runners sweltered on the route from Edinburgh to East Lothian | Greg Macvean Photography

On Monday, the Scottish Ambulance Service said it had responded to an “increased number” of medical incidents during the event, with several runners suffering from heat exhaustion.

They said a total of 59 people, which included runners and spectators, were treated over the weekend.

Approximately 14 patients were transported to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and two taken to the Western General Hospital.

A spokesperson said: "Due to the higher temperatures experienced over the weekend, we responded to and treated an increased number of runners presenting with a range of conditions, including heat exhaustion throughout the route.

"We attended to 59 patients with 14 patients transported to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and 2 patients transported to Western General Hospital.

"We had staff based at the marathon and placed along the route as part of the event plan who worked proactively to identify and manage anyone needing medical assistance."

Scotland had its hottest day of the year on Monday, with 25.3C recorded in Charterhall in Berwickshire, beating the 23.6C recorded on May 1.

Meanwhile the record for the UK's hottest May day has been broken, with temperatures of 34C recorded in Heathrow and Teddington in London.

Following the event, Neil Kilgour, Edinburgh Marathon Festival Race Director, said: “Our team, and indeed the whole city, could not be prouder of the 40,000 runners who took part.

“Not only do these events make a significant contribution to increasing physical activity levels, but this year’s Edinburgh Marathon Festival has also surpassed the record it set last year as Scotland’s largest fundraising event.

“That achievement is a testament to the incredible dedication of every runner who crossed the finish line this weekend and to their remarkable fundraising efforts for worthy causes.

“The individual runners and charity fundraising are what our events are all about, and we’re incredibly proud to deliver a platform for charities and runners which changes millions of lives for the better.

“We are exceptionally thankful to the entire event team and all of the volunteers who helped make this another historic edition of the event.”