5k Runs in Scotland 2026-2027
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5k runs the length of Scotland: 94 5K races in 2026 and 2027, from Glasgow and Edinburgh to the Highlands, with dates, venues and entry links. The Edinburgh Marathon Festival opens its May weekend with a 5K through Holyrood Park on the Saturday, and the pattern repeats at most of the country's big events: the five is the family and first-timer race that goes before the main event. Glasgow has park and riverside 5Ks along the Clyde, Aberdeen and Dundee run theirs on the seafront and beside the Tay, and Race for Life turns Glasgow Green and Holyrood Park pink in May and June.
5k runs by city
Pick a city: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Stirling, Perth and Fort William.
What to expect from a Scottish 5k
Licensed road races under Scottish Athletics rules give you a measured course and chip timing at the larger events, while the Highland and island 5Ks are more likely to be hill runs with a pipe band at the finish than anything a PB would survive. The season is compressed: the bulk of the races fall between April and September, with the summer evening series in the central belt and a burst of Santa dashes in December. Juniors are well served, since most Scottish 5Ks carry a low minimum age or pair with a shorter fun run, and Couch to 5K groups from the jogscotland network fill the back of many fields. A 4K, a 6K or a mile can be added to the list with the distance slider at the top of the page.
Other distances in Scotland
Scotland's 10k runs calendar follows naturally from the five, and the full running calendar holds every distance north of the border, with the half marathon calendar, the marathon calendar and the trail running calendar alongside. South of the border and beyond, the UK-wide 5k runs calendar takes in every region.
Get new running races (and updates) in your inbox every month.