Sri Chinmoy 5km race Silverknowes Edinburgh.
Podium stats and age records
The Sri Chinmoy Athletic Club in Edinburgh has been holding races on Silverknowes esplanade in Edinburgh, since 1981, initially five miles and, in recent years, five km.
In 2011, when Scottish Athletics initiated the road race Grand Prix, we were asked to incorporate our 5km race into the championship, which involved races in Scotland at 5km, 10km, 10 Miles, and half and full marathon.
The ongoing success of the race speaks volumes for the healthy club structure Scottish Athletics has developed over the years. More than that, it simply strives to bring together athletes to compete and bring the best out of each other in a “pure racing format.”
If the 5km Park Run phenomenon has its role in providing a platform for many runners to have their first community running outing, the Sri Chinmoy 5km race in Edinburgh enables runners of all standards to come and RACE and strive for PBs.
The event has also grown with the support of Athletic Clubs throughout Scotland. Runners now travel regularly, not just throughout Scotland’s central belt, but from Aberdeen, Inverness, and Moray in the North and Dumfries in the South West. Club bragging rights are also very much in each runner’s motivations!
The roll call of the podiums in the men’s and women’s races features many of Scotland’s leading distance runners in recent years.
In addition, hundreds of personal bests have been set by runners of all standards, with the event providing a key stepping stone in learning “How to Race!
Previous mens winners include;
Andy Butchart in 2013, who progressed to become an Olympian at 5,000 metres in Rio 2016. He was also a World Championship representative at 5,000 metres in London in 2017, and a Commonwealth Games representative at 10,000 metres, in Birmingham, in 2022.
Callum Hawkins, winner in 2015 also progressed to become an Olympian in the marathon at Rio, in 2016 He also ran in the Commonwealth Games for Scotland at Glasgow 2014 in the 10,000m and Gold Coast,2018 in the Marathon.
Ross Houston, winner in 2012 went on to run in the Commonwealth Games marathon in Glasgow, in 2014 and then secured GB representation at 50km, in 2016, at the World 50km Championships in Doha.
2025 saw the fastest men’s race to date with Fife AC’s Logan Rees winning in 14:04 from Cambuslang’s Jamie McKinnon with 14:06 and Aberdeen’s Sean Chalmers with 14:08.
The nature of championship racing, with runners often holding something back for a fast final kilometre, often dictates slightly slower times than a race where runners commit from the beginning and risk of blowing up.
We are hopeful that when the stars align, one year soon a sub 14 clocking will be achieved.
Previous Womens winners include;
Morag Millar, Commonwealth Games representative at 1500 metres at Melbourne in 2006 and with multiple Scottish championship medals.
Sarah Inglis Commonwealth Games representativeat both 5,000 amd 10,000 metres, Birmingham 2022.
Multiple women’s podiums.
Annabel Simpson has three victories in 2017, 2018 and 2022,
Morag Millar has five podiums, also including three victories, in 2014, 2019 and 2025, and silver in 2016 and 2023.
Lynn Mckenna as one victry from 2023 and a bronze medal from 2025
Multiple men’s podiums.
Kris Jones is the only man to have won two races in 2017 and 2019
Shettleston’s Tewolde Mengistaub and Central’s Ross Houston both have three podiums. Mengistaub took gold in 2014, silver in 2011 and bronze in 2015.
Houston took gold in 2012, Silver in 2011 and Bronze in 2014.
AGE Group records at the Sri Chinmoy 5km in Edinburgh
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Adrian Tarit Stott.
The author is a former GB 24-hour ultra international with over 100 ultra race completions. He has also been involved in organising ultra-distance races for over 30 years. Still an active recreational runner, he is currently a member of UKA’s Ultra Running Advisory Group (URAG) and the Mountain and Trail Advisory Group. He also contributes as part of the selection and team management for both Scottish and GB ultra teams. A freelance writer in his spare time, he contributes articles and reports to several websites and magazines including Athletics Weekly and Irunfar.
