It's that time of year again when athletes and runners descend upon the capital to take part in Scotland's biggest race.

The 2018 Edinburgh Marathon events will take place in the capital over the weekend with the main race on Sunday, May 27.

Thousands of people will also be taking part in events including the half marathon, the team relay and junior races.

Sunday's marathon will begin at 10am from the starting point on Potterow in the city's Old Town near Edinburgh University.

It will take in around 26 miles of Edinburgh and East Lothian before finishing in Musselburgh's Pinkie Playing Fields.

Organisers said Sunday's main event is an ideal start for those running their first marathon or competitors looking for a personal best.

A total of nine different races will be held over the weekend.

The Edinburgh Marathon is the second largest in the UK after London and the 'fast and flat' course has been voted the UKs fastest by Runner's World.

Starting on Potterrow, on the grounds of one of the oldest Universities in the world, the city centre start takes runners through the heart of the capital.

They will pass the statue of Greyfriars Bobby and the National Museum of Scotland before heading over the High Street and down The Mound.

The course will then pass the Scottish National Gallery and head into Princes Street Gardens with Edinburgh Castle providing a scenic backdrop.

The route then takes in the Scott Monument as runners head down the historic Royal Mile before passing the Scottish Parliament building in Holyrood.

Here runners will be able to take in Arthur's Seat & Salisbury Crags, as well as the Palace of Holyrood, before departing the Royal Park and heading east towards the coast.

Before they reach Musselburgh the competitors will run past the oldest golf course in the world, where golf has reportedly been played from as early as 1672, before heading further East to Gosford House.

And then as runners turn and head back along the coast they will witness one of the greatest sights for any marathon runner, the finish line.

With a descent of almost 90 metres to near sea level, organisers believe that it is the fastest marathon route in the world.

With thousands of people visiting Edinburgh to take part in the marathon and cheer on the competitors it is bound to cause major disruptions for anyone out and about in the city.

There will be a total of 106 roads affected on Sunday with as many as 42 entirely closed for most of the day.

The 42 closed roads will include:

More than 30,000 people are expected to take part in the Edinburgh Festival marathon events with many more lining the route to cheer on family and friends.

Runners from all over the world will gather in the capital for Scotland's biggest running festival to take part part in the Marathon, Half Marathon, Team Relay, 10k, 5k and junior races across an action-packed weekend.

Last year a total of 6596 runners finished the main event with 4274 men and 2322 women completing the whole distance.

The highest attended marathon in recent memory was in 2011 when 6797 men and 2940 women meant a total of 9732 finished the route.

There has been plenty of sunshine forecast for Scotland this weekend with temperatures in Edinburgh predicted to reach highs of 21C on Sunday.

Forecasters also say there is only a 10% chance of rain in the capital.

While most of us will welcome a spell of warm weather, competitors will look at it with a bit more trepidation and will be advised on how best to safely run in the sun.

Runners have been advised to: