My marathons

Bristol Half Marathon

Bristol
Pero's Bridge
Pero's Bridge. Photograph by The original uploader was Rodw at English Wikipedia., Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The course

In the organiser's route guide the 10k and half marathon start together on Colston Avenue, wind around Queen Square and Castle Park for the first three and a half miles, cross the river on Prince Street Bridge and run along Cumberland Road, and finish on Anchor Road.

The course in short 3 lines
  • From Colston Avenue by the waterside to Anchor RoadColston Avenue start, Queen Square and Castle Park, Prince Street Bridge, finish on Anchor Road.
  • A relatively flat city-centre halfThe organiser calls the half marathon relatively flat, on closed city roads.
  • Sunday 9 May 2027, a morning half9 May 2027: half marathon waves from 8:30 AM, 10k from 10:40 AM.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryFrom Colston Avenue by the waterside to Anchor RoadColston Avenue start, Queen Square and Castle Park, Prince Street Bridge, finish on Anchor Road.

Both distances share the route for over five miles. The half marathon then splits onto the Portway for an out-and-back stretch, turns just after nine miles and rejoins the 10k route at Merchants Road for the last stretch to the finish on Anchor Road. The guide describes the course as waterside, with bridges and long harbourside stretches.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientA relatively flat city-centre halfThe organiser calls the half marathon relatively flat, on closed city roads.

The route guide says the course is varied, taking in Bristol’s rivers, green spaces and urban landmarks, with gentle undulations along long harbourside stretches. Waves are allocated by estimated time and runners can only move to a later wave, not an earlier one.

Sourced

Whole courseConditionsSunday 9 May 2027, a morning half9 May 2027: half marathon waves from 8:30 AM, 10k from 10:40 AM.

Entries are open to runners aged 17 and over in the half marathon and 15 and over in the 10k on the day. Race numbers contain the timing chip, and baggage buses stand close to the start. The run was established in 1989.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Bristol, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

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

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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
21.1 km13.1 mi

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.

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