My marathons

Cambridge Half Marathon

Cambridge
King's College
King's College. Photograph by Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 2026 course ran past King's, Trinity, Jesus and St John's colleges, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Botanic Garden, then out through Grantchester.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Colleges, the Backs and GrantchesterA city-centre loop, then countryside and the River Cam.
  • Five drink stations and a 3h30 cut-offDrinks at 3.5, 6.5, 9.5, 11 and 12.3 miles; 3h30 limit.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkColleges, the Backs and GrantchesterA city-centre loop, then countryside and the River Cam.

The organiser describes a historic centre loop through the colleges, open stretches through the countryside and over the River Cam, and a return into town; the Orchard Tea Garden in Grantchester is also named. Start and finish are on Victoria Avenue, beside the event village on Midsummer Common. The course is UKA certified and billed as flat and fast.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsFive drink stations and a 3h30 cut-offDrinks at 3.5, 6.5, 9.5, 11 and 12.3 miles; 3h30 limit.

The 2026 drink stations were at St John’s College (3.5 miles), a layby on Barton Road (6.5), Grantchester Road in Trumpington (9.5), Trumpington Road (11) and Bridge Street (12.3), each with water and some with High5 products. The cut-off was 3 hours 30 minutes from the start line, with on-course checks at 15.3 km on Trumpington Road (13:00) and 18.5 km at the Silver Street junction (13:30). The 2026 race sold out in record time.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Cambridge, 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

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
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.

Keep exploring

More races to look at after the Cambridge Half Marathon.

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 Tokyo Marathon filmImagery: Google Earth4:01

    Tokyo Marathon

    Tokyo, Japan

    Sun 7 Mar 202742.2 km16 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 March