My marathons

Paddock Wood Half Marathon

09:009:00 AM Paddock Wood
Paddock Wood
Paddock Wood. Photograph by M J Roots, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser describes the course as mostly rural and very flat, with only one hill of note at 1.25 miles and railway bridges for most of the other slopes.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Mostly rural and very flat, with one hill at 1.25 milesFlat and rural; one hill at 1.25 miles; railway bridges elsewhere.
  • A fast, measured course and an England Masters qualifierEngland Masters qualifier; 9:00 am start on 14 March 2027.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientMostly rural and very flat, with one hill at 1.25 milesFlat and rural; one hill at 1.25 miles; railway bridges elsewhere.

In 2026 the first 2 miles were completely closed to traffic, so runners could use the full width of the road, and after that they kept to the left. Water stations stood at 3.25, 6.25, 8.5 and 10.25 miles, with water at the finish, and the start and finish were in Eldon Way beside Paddock Wood railway station.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsA fast, measured course and an England Masters qualifierEngland Masters qualifier; 9:00 am start on 14 March 2027.

The organiser calls the course fast and accurately measured. The race is run under UK Athletics rules, so headphones that cover or sit in the ear are banned and bone conduction headphones in front of the ear are allowed.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Paddock Wood, 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.

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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.

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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

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 14 March Race day

  1. 09:009:00 AM

    Half marathon start

Times as published by the organiser, in Paddock Wood time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Paddock Wood 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.

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