The Great Bristol Half Marathon is an annual

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

event held on the streets of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

, UK. The route is at sea level and starts on Anchor Road outside

We The Curious We The Curious (previously At-Bristol or "@Bristol") is a science and arts centre and educational charity in Bristol, England. It features over 250 interactive exhibits over two floors, and members of the public and school groups can also e ...

. Participants make their way toward

Hotwells Hotwells is a district of the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects the dock ...

before heading under the

Clifton Suspension Bridge The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the River Avon, linking Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Since opening in 1864, it has been a toll bridge, the income from which provid ...

and along the Portway toward Sea Mills before returning the same way then navigating around Cumberland Basin then along Spike Island before crossing Prince Street Bridge, circling Queen Square then heading to Castle Park via

St Mary Redcliffe St Mary Redcliffe is an Anglican parish church located in the Redcliffe district of Bristol, England. The church is a short walk from Bristol Temple Meads station. The church building was constructed from the 12th to the 15th centuries, and i ...

and Temple Circus. The final mile and a half take place in the Old City and

Bristol city centre Bristol City Centre is the commercial, cultural and business centre of Bristol, England. It is the area north of the New Cut of the River Avon, bounded by Clifton Wood and Clifton to the north-west, Kingsdown and Cotham to the north, and ...

before crossing the finish line back at Anchor Road. The runner's village is located at

Millennium Square Millennium Square may refer to: * Millennium Square, Bristol *Millennium Square, Leeds *Millennium Square, Sheffield Millennium Square is a modern city square in Sheffield, England. It was created as part of the Heart of the City project that b ...

. The 2016 event took place on 25 September.

Race history

Bristol Marathon

The half-marathon had been preceded locally by the Bristol Marathon, which was first run in 1982. In 2014, a new marathon was launched in Bristol. Organised by Go2Events, the

Bristol + Bath Marathon The Bristol + Bath Marathon was planned to be an annual marathon held between the cities of Bristol and Bath in the United Kingdom. It was held once in 2015 before the events in 2016 and 2017 were both cancelled. No further events were arranged af ...

follows much of the Bristol Half Marathon route before heading out of the city through

South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming ...

and into

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Pl ...

finishing at Royal Victoria Park. The inaugural event took place on 25 October 2015.

Bristol Half Marathon

The first Bristol

Half Marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

was held in 1989, with just 1,000 runners competing. The event grew with 12,000 competitors in 2005, 15,000 in 2006 and 16,000 in 2009, a figure around which the participation level has settled. In the 1992 race, two Kenyan teammates finished first with the same time.

Gideon Mutisya Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abi ...

and

David Mungai David Kimani Mungai (born December 7, 1968) is a Kenyan mid- and long-distance runner. Professional career David Mungai traveled from Kenya to attend the University of Wyoming and to train with fellow Kenyas who were coached by Olympian Joseph ...

shared the 1:04:08 course-record time, though Mutisya was declared winner. Notable editions of the race include 1997, when the event was titled 'The Cabot 500 Run Through History' to celebrate the 500th anniversary of

John Cabot John Cabot ( it, Giovanni Caboto ; 1450 – 1500) was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest-known European exploration of coastal Nor ...

's first voyage to

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

in 1497 and 2001, when the Bristol Half Marathon was also the 10th

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...

World Half Marathon Championships, and attracted competitors such as

Haile Gebrselassie Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champions ...

and

Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a former British long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 2008), and 2002 Chicago Marath ...

. In 2007 the race incorporated the

UK Athletics UK Athletics (UKA) is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials. The org ...

team selection trial for the

2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships The 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships were held in Udine, Italy on 14 October 2007. Detailed reports on the event and an appraisal of the results were given both for the men's race and for the women's race. Medallists Race results ...

, as well as the

Amateur Athletic Association The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

championship half marathon. The first fatality in the race occurred in 2011, when a male runner collapsed and died. The names of various sponsors have prefixed the title of the race in the past, with names including the

BUPA Bupa , legally British United Provident Association Limited, is an international health insurance and healthcare group with over 38 million customers worldwide. Bupa's origins and global headquarters are in the United Kingdom. Its main countrie ...

Bristol Half Marathon, the

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

Bristol Half Marathon and the Run Bristol Half Marathon, being sponsored by

Bristol City Council Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 ward ...

. On 14 December 2015, it was announced from 2016 the event, alongside sister event the Bristol 10k, would be organised by

Great Run Great Run is a series of road running events around the United Kingdom, which includes the Great North Run. Great Run is a part of The Great Run Company, which was launched by retired athlete Brendan Foster. The group specialises in road running ...

and renamed the Great Bristol Half Marathon. In 2011 a business challenge was introduced, to stimulate participation by colleagues within Bristol companies.

Past winners

Key: All information taken from ''runbristol,'' ARRS and ''This is Bristol''
Bristol half marathon winner Claire can run even faster, says coach
'' 12. September 2009

Notes

References

External links

Official WebsiteBBC race coverage
*
bristolhalfmarathon.co.uk
' (unofficial Bristol Half Marathon website,

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

) {{coord, 51.4508, -2.5986, display=title Half marathons in the United Kingdom Sports competitions in Bristol Bristol Harbourside Athletics competitions in England