My marathons

The Big Half

London
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge. Photograph by Barcex, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The Big Half starts beside Tower Bridge and finishes by the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, through Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Tower Bridge to the Cutty SarkTower Bridge start, Cutty Sark finish, four boroughs.
  • A few short hills, and the bridgeShort rises at miles 2, 3, before Tower Bridge and near the end.
  • Water at miles 3, 6, 9 and 11Water at 3, 6, 9 and 11 miles; Lucozade Sport at mile 9.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseFinishTower Bridge to the Cutty SarkTower Bridge start, Cutty Sark finish, four boroughs.

First held in 2018, the half starts next to Tower Bridge and finishes by the Cutty Sark. The route runs through four boroughs: Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich. The organiser calls the terrain fast and flat road, with 218 feet (about 66 m) of elevation gain.

Sourced

Whole courseGradientA few short hills, and the bridgeShort rises at miles 2, 3, before Tower Bridge and near the end.

The organiser’s pace team coordinator tells runners not to speed up in the Limehouse Tunnel, and warns of a hill as you come out of it at mile 2 and another into Canary Wharf at mile 3. Tall buildings in Canary Wharf can upset GPS watches, so the mile markers are the reliable reference. There is a short cobbled stretch in Wapping, a slightly uncomfortable incline just before Tower Bridge, and one last climb over a short bridge with 500 metres to go.

Sourced

Whole courseConditionsWater at miles 3, 6, 9 and 11Water at 3, 6, 9 and 11 miles; Lucozade Sport at mile 9.

Toilets stand in the start and finish area and at miles 3, 6, 8 and 11. BUXTON Natural Mineral Water is handed out at miles 3, 6, 9 and 11 and Lucozade Sport at mile 9. Runners with a bottle belt or hydration pack can refill in the start and finish area.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for London, 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
cut-off
4:00 h

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 5 September Race day

  1. Time not published

    Half marathon time limit Four hours to complete the half marathon. Runners who cannot hold a four-hour pace move onto the pavement for safety and the organiser's team stays with them to the finish line. 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 London time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in London 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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