The Course

The course is 5000m (5K) long. The course is on Aberdeen Bearch Esplanade, Aberdeen and run entirely on tarmac. Some sections of the course may accumulate mud, leaves and puddles after rain. Dependent on availability, marshals will be at key sections of the course, or signs will be in place.

Please remember that the parkrun uses shared paths. For the continued success of the event, please give way to other park users. This won't hurt your time, it won't stop you from getting a PB and it will make sure everyone continues to enjoy the event.

Please, wherever possible walk, jog, cycle or use public transport when attending the event. If you do have to drive, please consider car-sharing to reduce our impact on both the environment and other park users. Please also watch out for other park users when arriving and leaving. Parking may be limited so try to arrive early.

Course Safety

The Aberdeen parkrun is a fun, free event organised by volunteers for the benefit of everyone. We wish to make the run as safe as possible, so runners, spectators and helpers are asked to take care about the following:

  • Please be considerate to the park and other park users at all times.
  • Children under the age of eleven must be accompanied (within arm's reach) throughout the run by a parent, guardian or appropriate adult of the parent's choice.
  • Please arrive by foot, by pedal-power or by public transport if you can - your efforts help to reduce our impact on the park and the planet.
  • Please consider volunteering to help occasionally - this event survives only because of your generosity - please visit the volunteer page for more information.
  • Take care near roads and car parks - some vehicles drive very quickly. Please congregate away from the cars and be careful in particular if you have children. If you’re driving to the run, please drive carefully even if you’re late!
  • When running, take care on uneven surfaces - whether on grass or on tarmac. Watch out for cyclists, other runners, pedestrians, children, dogs, wildlife, park animals, vehicles, park maintenance work, falling branches, bollards, posts and other obstacles around the course.
  • Please ensure that you are fit enough to walk, jog, run 5k (3.1 miles) with us. Health advice about running can be found at the excellent Runners' Medical Resource website (although this external website focuses on preparation for a race and does not describe parkrun events).
  • Remember to warm up before the run.
  • If you see a runner with a serious problem, please stop to help them out and get help as soon as possible.
  • If you’re watching, keep clear of runners on the course, and look after any children and dogs you may have with you.
  • It is not permitted to run with a pushchair and a dog at the same time.
    Runners wishing to run with a dog are welcome, but please keep the dog on a short lead or harness and under control throughout the event. Please also review the parkrun support page article about running with a dog at parkrun events.
  • Runners pushing buggies are also welcome, but please take extreme care of other runners around you. If possible start from the back of the field and try to keep to one side of the main body of runners.
  • Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks. Consider protecting yourself by wearing repellent when at parkrun events in grassy or wooded areas. See lymediseaseuk.com for further details.

We hope these tips help to ensure that Aberdeen parkrun is fun and safe for everyone.

Age Grading

All parkrun events use Age Grading to help athletes compare results.

Age Grading takes your time and uses the world record time for your sex and age group to produce a score (a percentage). This score allows you to compare your personal performance against other people's performances even though they might be a different age and a different sex to you - the higher the score the better the performance. The scores can also be compared across different race distances - to allow you to, for example, compare a 5km time against a marathon.

For more information, please see our Support page.

Course Map


View Aberdeen parkrun in a larger map

Course Description

The course start is 400 metres East of Bridge of Don near to the Donmouth local nature reserve. The route is an out and back run that starts and finishes at the same point. Runners start on the esplanade east of King Street then run east towards the main beach prom and up and around the bend onto the upper Beach promenade. Runners run south towards the beach ballroom. After a straight run of approximately 2 kilometres runners turn sharp left near a bus stop and down onto the lower promenade. The bus stop turn will always be marshalled. Runners then run 2 kilometres north all the way along the lower prom to the next turn at the standing stones. At the standing stones runners turn right then back round the bend and downhill towards the finish. The finish line is on the grass and will be clearly signposted.

Facilities

There are no changing or safe keeping facilities at Aberdeen parkrun. Please come changed and ready for the run. The nearest toilets are at the Shell garage near Bridge of Don (400 metres from Start) or at the public toilets located inside Seaton Park (1 kilometre from start).

Getting There

Location of start

We meet at the esplanade, approximately 400 East of Bridge of Don near to the Donmouth local nature reserve. Parking is readily available along the roadside.

Getting there by public transport

There is no public bus that goes directly past the start point. First Bus numbers 1 and 2 travel from Union Street and north along King Street to within 400 metres of the start. Please alight just before Bridge of Don on King Street then walk East towards the Sea to find the start.

Getting there on foot

The start is 2.5 miles from the city centre. Walkers can either travel via Union Street then along King Street turning right at Bridge of Don or alternatively walk towards Aberdeen beach then follow the promenade north and round the bend to the start line.

Getting there by road

For satnav users, enter postcode AB24 1XN. There is plentiful parking on the Esplanade near to the start.

Post Run Coffee

Every week we grab a post parkrun coffee at the cafe located within the Satrosphere Science Centre, 179 Constitution Street. Satnav postcode AB24 5TU - please come and join us.