Great Bristol Half Marathon Explained

Date:September
Location:Bristol
Type:Half marathon
Distance:13 miles, 192.5 yards (21,097.5 metres)
Record:Men's: 1:00:03 (Haile Gebrselassie, 2001)
Women's: 1:06:47 (Paula Radcliffe, 2001)
Homepage:Official Website

The Great Bristol Half Marathon is an annual road running event held on the streets of Bristol, UK. The route is at sea level and starts on Anchor Road outside We The Curious. Participants make their way toward Hotwells before heading under the Clifton Suspension Bridge and along the Portway toward Sea Mills before returning the same way then navigating around Cumberland Basin then along Spike Island before crossing Prince Street Bridge, circling Queen Square then heading to Castle Park via St Mary Redcliffe and Temple Circus. The final mile and a half take place in the Old City and Bristol City Centre before crossing the finish line back at Anchor Road.

The runner's village is located at Millennium Square.

Race history

Bristol Marathon

The half-marathon had been preceded locally by the Bristol Marathon, which was first run in 1982.[1] In 2014, a new marathon was launched in Bristol.[2] Organised by Go2Events, the Bristol + Bath Marathon follows much of the Bristol Half Marathon route before heading out of the city through South Gloucestershire and into Bath finishing at Royal Victoria Park.[3] The inaugural event took place on 25 October 2015.

Bristol Half Marathon

The first Bristol Half Marathon was held in 1989, with just 1,000 runners competing. The event grew with 12,000 competitors in 2005, 15,000 in 2006 and 16,000 in 2009, a figure around which the participation level has settled.[4]

In the 1992 race, two Kenyan teammates finished first with the same time. Gideon Mutisya and David Mungai shared the 1:04:08 course-record time, though Mutisya was declared winner.[5]

Notable editions of the race include 1997, when the event was titled 'The Cabot 500 Run Through History' to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's first voyage to Newfoundland in 1497 and 2001, when the Bristol Half Marathon was also the 10th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and attracted competitors such as Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Radcliffe.

In 2007 the race incorporated the UK Athletics team selection trial for the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships, as well as the Amateur Athletic Association championship half marathon.

The first fatality in the race occurred in 2011, when a male runner collapsed and died.[6]

The names of various sponsors have prefixed the title of the race in the past, with names including the BUPA Bristol Half Marathon, the Reebok Bristol Half Marathon and the Run Bristol Half Marathon, being sponsored by Bristol City Council. On 14 December 2015, it was announced from 2016 the event, alongside sister event the Bristol 10k, would be organised by Great Run and renamed the Great Bristol Half Marathon.[7]

In 2011 a business challenge was introduced, to stimulate participation by colleagues within Bristol companies.

In 2024, a fatality occurred, when a 26-year old runner collapsed and died.[8]

Past winners

Key:

class=unsortableEditionYearclass=unsortableMen's winnerTime (h:m:s)class=unsortableWomen's winnerTime (h:m:s)
1st19891:08:361:20:05
2nd19901:11:221:18:47
3rd19911:07:511:18:14
4th19921:04:081:16:05
5th19931:03:391:15:00
6th19941:02:451:14:47
7th19951:06:121:22:40
8th19961:04:161:13:56
9th[9] 19971:04:521:18:36
10th19981:06:361:20:08
11th19991:05:441:17:37
12th20001:04:091:13:28
WHMC20011:00:031:06:47
13th20011:05:091:14:56
14th20021:05:301:16:43
15th20031:02:521:12:22
16th20041:04:181:13:40
17th20051:03:301:12:53
18th20061:03:381:12:35
19th20071:03:011:10:26
20th20081:05:481:14:18
21st20091:03:251:12:03
22nd20101:03:081:12:02
23rd[10] 20111:03:201:13:32
24th20121:02:511:11:22
25th20131:03:561:13:40
26th20141:03:551:13:01
27th20151:01:321:13:48
28th20161:07:541:14:58
29th20171:08:071:17:42
30th20181:05:101:16:26
31st20191:05:081:17:05
2020Cancelled[11]
32nd20211:07:53[12] 1:18:18[13]
33rd 2022 1:10:40 1:15:49
34rd 2023 1:08:55 1:17:00

All information taken from runbristol,[14] ARRS[15] and This is Bristol[16]

Notes

See also

External links

51.4508°N -2.5986°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bristol Marathon returns after 29 years. BBC. 6 December 2015.
  2. News: New marathon from Bristol to Bath set for 2015 . Athletics Weekly . 10 December 2014.
  3. News: Everything You Need To Know. Bristol+Bath Marathon .
  4. Web site: Runbristol . 30 April 2012 . 15 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120415174118/http://www.runbristol.com/ . dead .
  5. Web site: Bristol. Association of Road Racing Statisticians . 24 February 2021 . Mattole Valley, California. Ken Young. Andy Milroy. 24 February 2021.
  6. News: Bristol Half Marathon: Male runner dies . BBC News . 11 September 2011.
  7. News: Great Run Launches Two New Events . Great Run . 14 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160322153331/http://www.greatrun.org/news-and-media/news/great-run-launches-two-new-events . 22 March 2016 .
  8. Web site: 2024-05-20 . Great Bristol Run death: Organisers confirm death of 26-year-old . 2024-05-20 . BBC News.
  9. Billed as the 'Cabot 500 Run Through History'
  10. News: Bristol Half Marathon: Male runner dies . BBC Bristol . 11 September 2011 . 12 September 2011.
  11. News: BRISTOL HALF MARATHON CANCELLED FOR 2020 . Ellie . Pipe . 1 July 2020 . Bristol 24/7 . 28 October 2020.
  12. News: Winner of Great Bristol Run half-marathon disqualified after investigation. ITV News. 20 September 2021. 21 September 2021.
  13. More records for Karsten Warholm – weekly round-up. Athletics Weekly. 20 September 2021. 21 September 2021.
  14. Bristol half marathon: Race history
  15. Bristol Half Marathon
  16. Bristol half marathon winner Claire can run even faster, says coach. 12. September 2009