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.
Great Bristol Half Marathon | |
---|---|
Date | September |
Location | Bristol |
Event type | Half marathon |
Distance | 13 miles, 192.5 yards (21,097.5 metres) |
Established | 1989 |
Course records | Men's: 1:00:03 (Haile Gebrselassie, 2001) Women's: 1:06:47 (Paula Radcliffe, 2001) |
Official site | Official Website |
The runner's village is located at Millennium Square.
Race history
editBristol Marathon
editThe 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
editThe 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
editKey: Course record
Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 1989 | Steve Brace (GBR) | 1:08:36 | Bronwen Cardy-Wise (GBR) | 1:20:05 |
2nd | 1990 | Wayne Buxton (GBR) | 1:11:22 | Zina Marchant (GBR) | 1:18:47 |
3rd | 1991 | Nick Rose (GBR) | 1:07:51 | Cathy Newman (GBR) | 1:18:14 |
4th | 1992 | Gideon Mutisya (KEN)[a] | 1:04:08 | Lesley Morton (GBR) | 1:16:05 |
5th | 1993 | Lazarus Nyakeraka (KEN) | 1:03:39 | Karen MacLeod (GBR) | 1:15:00 |
6th | 1994 | Charles Tangus (KEN) | 1:02:45 | Danielle Sanderson (GBR) | 1:14:47 |
7th | 1995 | Bruce Chinnick (GBR) | 1:06:12 | Maureen Laney (GBR) | 1:22:40 |
8th | 1996 | Martin Cox (GBR) | 1:04:16 | Olga Mitchurina (RUS) | 1:13:56 |
9th[9] | 1997 | Kassa Tadessa (GBR) | 1:04:52 | Trudi Thomson (GBR) | 1:18:36 |
10th | 1998 | Kassa Tadessa (GBR) | 1:06:36 | Laura Woffenden (GBR) | 1:20:08 |
11th | 1999 | Wilson Cheruiyot (KEN) | 1:05:44 | Cathy Newman (GBR) | 1:17:37 |
12th | 2000 | Nick Wetheridge (GBR) | 1:04:09 | Andrea Green (GBR) | 1:13:28 |
WHMC | 2001 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 1:00:03 | Paula Radcliffe (GBR) | 1:06:47 |
13th | 2001 | Geoffrey Kinyua (KEN) | 1:05:09 | Andrea Green (GBR) | 1:14:56 |
14th | 2002 | Hilary Lelei (KEN) | 1:05:30 | Emily Samoei (KEN) | 1:16:43 |
15th | 2003 | Julius Kibet (KEN) | 1:02:52 | Meriem Wangari (KEN) | 1:12:22 |
16th | 2004 | Simon Tanui (KEN) | 1:04:18 | Meriem Wangari (KEN) | 1:13:40 |
17th | 2005 | Wilfred Taragon (KEN) | 1:03:30 | Birhan Dagne (GBR) | 1:12:53 |
18th | 2006 | Patrick Makau (KEN) | 1:03:38 | Cathy Mutwa (KEN) | 1:12:35 |
19th | 2007 | Tewodros Shiferaw (ETH) | 1:03:01 | Jane Muia (KEN) | 1:10:26 |
20th | 2008 | Tom Payne (GBR) | 1:05:48 | Birhan Dagne (GBR) | 1:14:18 |
21st | 2009 | Ezekiel Cherop (KEN) | 1:03:25 | Claire Hallissey (GBR) | 1:12:03 |
22nd | 2010 | Edwin Kipyego (KEN) | 1:03:08 | Claire Hallissey (GBR) | 1:12:02 |
23rd[10] | 2011 | Edwin Kipyego (KEN) | 1:03:20 | Gemma Steel (GBR) | 1:13:32 |
24th | 2012 | Dominic Ondoro (KEN) | 1:02:51 | Emily Biwott (KEN) | 1:11:22 |
25th | 2013 | Bernard Rotich (KEN) | 1:03:56 | Emma Stepto (GBR) | 1:13:40 |
26th | 2014 | Ben Siwa (UGA) | 1:03:55 | Gladys Yator (KEN) | 1:13:01 |
27th | 2015 | Morris Gachaga (KEN) | 1:01:32 | Teresiah Omosa (KEN) | 1:13:48 |
28th | 2016 | James Connor (GBR)[11] | 1:07:54 | Jenny Spink (GBR)[12] | 1:14:58 |
29th | 2017 | Aaron Richmond (GBR) | 1:08:07 | Emma Stepto (GBR) | 1:17:42 |
30th | 2018 | Matt Clowes (GBR) | 1:05:10 | Clara Evans (GBR) | 1:16:26 |
31st | 2019 | Matt Clowes (GBR) | 1:05:08 | Annabel Gummow (GBR) | 1:17:05 |
– | 2020 | Cancelled[13] | |||
32nd | 2021 | Chris Thompson (GBR)[b] | 1:07:53[14] | Chloe Richardson (GBR) | 1:18:18[15] |
33rd | 2022 | Jacob Brockmann (AUS) | 1:10:40 | Charlotte Taylor (GBR) | 1:15:49 |
34rd | 2023 | Alex Milne (GBR) | 1:08:55 | Charlie Arnell (GBR) | 1:17:00 |
All information taken from runbristol,[16] ARRS[17] and This is Bristol[18]
Notes
edit- ^ Gideon Mutisya and David Mungai finished with the same official time in the 1992 race.
- ^ Omar Ahmed finished first, but was disqualified as he had signed up for the 10 km race rather than the half marathon event.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bristol Marathon returns after 29 years". BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ "New marathon from Bristol to Bath set for 2015". Athletics Weekly. 10 December 2014.
- ^ "Everything You Need To Know". Bristol+Bath Marathon.
- ^ "Runbristol". Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ Ken Young; Andy Milroy, eds. (24 February 2021). "Bristol". Mattole Valley, California: Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ "Bristol Half Marathon: Male runner dies". BBC News. 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Great Run Launches Two New Events". Great Run. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Great Bristol Run death: Organisers confirm death of 26-year-old". BBC News. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ Billed as the 'Cabot 500 Run Through History'
- ^ "Bristol Half Marathon: Male runner dies". BBC Bristol. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ James Connor at Power of 10
- ^ Jenny Spink at Power of 10
- ^ Pipe, Ellie (1 July 2020). "BRISTOL HALF MARATHON CANCELLED FOR 2020". Bristol 24/7. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Winner of Great Bristol Run half-marathon disqualified after investigation". ITV News. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "More records for Karsten Warholm – weekly round-up". Athletics Weekly. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ Bristol half marathon: Race history
- ^ Bristol Half Marathon
- ^ Bristol half marathon winner Claire can run even faster, says coach. 12. September 2009
External links
edit- Official Website
- BBC race coverage
- bristolhalfmarathon.co.uk (unofficial Bristol Half Marathon website, Internet Archive)