My marathons

ABP Southampton Marathon Festival

09:009:00 AM Southampton
Bargate
Bargate. Photograph by Michael Coppins, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

Every distance starts at Dock Gate 8 inside Southampton's docks, and every runner finishes in Guildhall Square in the city centre.

The course in short 3 lines
  • From the docks to Guildhall SquareStart at Dock Gate 8 on the waterfront, finish in Guildhall Square.
  • Waterfront, city streets and the Itchen BridgeWaterfront, city streets, St Mary's Stadium and the Itchen Bridge.
  • Noon for lap one, 3pm for the finishLap one by 12 noon, finish by 3pm, a 6 hour limit.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GeometryFrom the docks to Guildhall SquareStart at Dock Gate 8 on the waterfront, finish in Guildhall Square.

The organiser describes the start at Dock Gate 8, in Southampton’s historic docks and home to the headline sponsor ABP, as a new start line on the waterfront. Every runner, over all four distances, finishes in Guildhall Square in the city centre.

Sourced

km 0 to 42.2LandmarkWaterfront, city streets and the Itchen BridgeWaterfront, city streets, St Mary's Stadium and the Itchen Bridge.

The organiser’s own line: run through Southampton’s waterfront, vibrant city streets and landmarks like St Mary’s Stadium and the Itchen Bridge. Its marathon page gives the terrain as road and the elevation as 296 m.

Sourced

km 0 to 42.2TacticsNoon for lap one, 3pm for the finishLap one by 12 noon, finish by 3pm, a 6 hour limit.

The organiser’s FAQ gives a six hour limit for the full and half marathon. Marathon runners are asked to complete lap one by 12 noon and finish by 3pm, just before the Fun Run, with motivators and event cyclists following the last runner. Near the end, slower runners may be moved onto the path so the roads can reopen.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Southampton, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
6:00 h

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 11 April Race day

  1. 09:009:00 AM

    Marathon start Dock Gate 8. The half marathon, 10K and 5K start at the same time, and every start is at Dock Gate 8.
Cut-offs (2)

  1. 12:0012:00 PM

    First lap cut-off Marathon runners are asked to complete lap one of the course by 12 noon.

  2. 15:003:00 PM

    Marathon finish cut-off Guildhall Square. The organiser asks marathon runners to finish the full route by 3pm, a 6 hour limit for the full and half marathon. Slower runners may be asked to move onto the path near the end so roads can reopen.

Times as published by the organiser, in Southampton time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Southampton time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Keep exploring

More races to look at after the ABP Southampton Marathon Festival.

Marathons people fly to

Races in Europe
  • A frame from our London Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth4:02

    London Marathon

    London, United Kingdom

    Sun 25 Apr 202742.2 km42 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • Manchester Town Hall, Manchester

    Manchester Marathon

    Manchester, United Kingdom

    Sun 18 Apr 202742.2 km48 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Manchester Town Hall, by Mark Andrew., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
  • Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh

    Edinburgh Marathon

    Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    Sun 30 May 202742.2 km39 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it. Photo: Edinburgh Castle, by Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
  • A frame from our Paris Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:56

    Paris Marathon

    Paris, France

    Sun 4 Apr 202742.2 km142 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.

Courses on film

All races on film
  • A frame from our Athens Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:56Race week

    Athens Marathon

    Athens, Greece

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km281 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Malaga Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:50Race week

    Malaga Marathon

    Malaga, Spain

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km63 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Porto Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:53Race week

    Porto Marathon

    Porto, Portugal

    Sun 8 Nov42.2 km133 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
  • A frame from our Curitiba Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth3:51Entry open

    Curitiba Marathon

    Curitiba, Brazil

    Sun 15 Nov42.2 km128 m

    Climb summed after smoothing the heights over 1 km. The edge is this course's height profile on one scale for every race: 250 m above its lowest point fills it.
More races in the United Kingdom and in April