My marathons

The Great West Run

09:209:20 AM Exeter
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral. Photograph by Rüdiger Wölk, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser describes the half marathon as a run through Exeter's town centre and countryside on closed roads, starting and finishing at Exeter Arena.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Closed roads from Exeter Arena through the town and the countrysideTown centre and countryside on closed roads, from and back to Exeter Arena.
  • Half marathon at 9:00, then the mile and the 10KHalf 9:00, Community Mile 9:20, 10K 9:40, all at Exeter Arena.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGeometryClosed roads from Exeter Arena through the town and the countrysideTown centre and countryside on closed roads, from and back to Exeter Arena.

All events start and finish at the arena, where an event village stands. The half marathon and 10K are signed and marshalled, with aid stations offering water in cups, toilets and medical support.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsHalf marathon at 9:00, then the mile and the 10KHalf 9:00, Community Mile 9:20, 10K 9:40, all at Exeter Arena.

There is no official car park and none at Exeter Arena, so for those who have to drive the organiser advises the pay and display car parks in the city centre and a shuttle bus ticket bought at sign-up.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Exeter, 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

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 23 May Race day

  1. 09:209:20 AM

    Community Mile start Exeter Arena
Other races (2)

  1. 09:009:00 AM

    Half marathon start Exeter Arena. All events start and finish within Exeter Arena.

  2. 09:409:40 AM

    10K start Exeter Arena

Times as published by the organiser, in Exeter time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Exeter 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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