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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Reading Half Marathon
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon
- Time limit
- 4 hours
The course
The course is a single lap of 21.1 km from Green Park to the Reading Football Club Stadium, undulating rather than flat, passing the Oracle, the Abbey Arch and the Maiwand Lion.
- One lap from Green Park to the stadiumSingle lap, traffic-free, Green Park to the stadium via the university and the Oracle.
- Race packs on the weekend, roads reopening after four hoursPack collection Friday and Saturday only; roads reopen about 4 hours after the start.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkOne lap from Green Park to the stadiumSingle lap, traffic-free, Green Park to the stadium via the university and the Oracle.
The organiser describes a single-lap, traffic-free route of 13.1 miles (21.1 km), undulating rather than completely flat. The first mile runs inside the Green Park business park, then the course goes through the grounds of the University of Reading, under The Oracle, through the historic Abbey Arch and past the Maiwand Lion, the figure behind the race’s logo. The party at mile 8 is a highlight, and the race finishes on the half-way line inside the Reading Football Club Stadium.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsRace packs on the weekend, roads reopening after four hoursPack collection Friday and Saturday only; roads reopen about 4 hours after the start.
The organiser lists race pack collection at the Reading Football Club Stadium on Friday 19 March 2027 from 3.30pm to 6.30pm and on Saturday 20 March from 10.00am to 4.00pm, with no collection on Sunday. Roads reopen about 4 hours after the start, and anyone still running may be asked to move to the path. Runners must be 17 or over on race day, and the race is on Sunday 21 March 2027.
Sourced
Race weekend
Friday 19 March Expo
-
15:303:30 PM–18:306:30 PM
Race pack collection Reading Football Club Stadium. Bring the entry confirmation and photo ID. Race packs hold the race number and baggage label.
Saturday 20 March Expo
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10:0010:00 AM–16:004:00 PM
Race pack collection Reading Football Club Stadium. There is no collection on Sunday.
Sunday 21 March Race day
-
07:007:00 AM
Help desk opens Race Village. Replacement race packs are handed out at the help desk on race day. -
Time not published
Roads reopen Roads reopen about 4 hours after the start, and runners still out may be asked to move to the path. 4:00 limit: 11:22/km for 21.0975 km4:00 limit: 18:18/mi for 13.1 mi
Times as published by the organiser, in Reading 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 Reading time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for Reading, 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 Reading Half Marathon.
