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.
Running Birmingham? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
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Great Birmingham Run
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Start
- 09:159:15 AM
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon · 10K
The course
The half marathon starts in Centenary Square, runs south through Digbeth to Cannon Hill Park, Selly Park and Edgbaston Stadium, then finishes on Jennens Road.
- Centenary Square, Digbeth and EdgbastonJewellery Quarter, Digbeth, Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston Stadium, then Jennens Road.
- Mixed ground, with downhill in miles 8 to 13Inclines and declines early, downhill running from mile 8 to the finish.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkCentenary Square, Digbeth and EdgbastonJewellery Quarter, Digbeth, Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston Stadium, then Jennens Road.
The organiser sends both the 10K and the half marathon from Centenary Square past the Jewellery Quarter, St Paul’s Square, the Mailbox, Grand Central at New Street Station, St Martin’s Church, Southside and Digbeth. Half marathon runners then head into south Birmingham, through Cannon Hill Park and Selly Park and around Edgbaston Stadium, before rejoining the 10K route past the Selfridges Building and along Jennens Road to the finish. The 2026 race finished on Jennens Road at the Aston University event village.
Sourced
Whole courseGradientMixed ground, with downhill in miles 8 to 13Inclines and declines early, downhill running from mile 8 to the finish.
The organiser calls the half marathon “a little mixed”, with inclines and declines along the way, and both distances have some downward running in the second half: miles 8 to 13 for the half marathon and kilometres 5 to 8 for the 10K. The half marathon starts at 9:15 on 2 May 2027, 45 minutes after the 10K, and entrants must be 17 or older on the day.
Sourced
Race weekend
Sunday 2 May Race day
-
08:308:30 AM
10K start Centenary Square -
09:159:15 AM
Half marathon start Centenary Square
Times as published by the organiser, in Birmingham time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Birmingham time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for Birmingham, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
For your long training runs:
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. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
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, 8 ml
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
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
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Electrolytes
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
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.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Great Birmingham Run.
