Reading Half Marathon
Encyclopedia
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
event held on the streets of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
town of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. The race is normally held on a Sunday in March or early April of each year. It was first run on March 13, 1983, and has been run every year since except for 2001, when it was cancelled as a result of concerns over that year's outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease or hoof-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids...
.
The race is open to everyone from fun runner to elite athletes, and was one of the first town races to include wheelchair athletes. The 2012 race will be held on the 1st April, and will have 16,500 places available.
Course
The Reading Half Marathon has had several courses over its life. Early courses involved use of the Rivermead Sports Centre, on the banks of the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, as start and/or finish, but recent races have used Green Park Business Park and the adjacent Madejski Stadium
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium is a stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. The stadium is the home of Reading Football Club and to the rugby union club London Irish as tenants. It also provides the finish for the Reading Half Marathon...
, both to the south of Reading, for these purposes.
The current course starts in Green Park Business Park. The route initially proceeds eastwards through Whitley Wood
Whitley Wood
Whitley Wood is a suburb to the south of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.-Geography:Whitley Wood is bounded to the north by an ill-defined boundary with the suburb of Whitley, to the east by a ridge of high ground carrying the road to Shinfield, to the west by the valleys of the River...
to the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
's Whiteknights Campus
Whiteknights Park
Whiteknights Park, or the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading, is the principal campus of that university. The park covers the area of the manor of Earley Whiteknights, also known as Earley St Nicholas and Earley Regis.Whiteknights Park is some two miles south of the centre of the town...
, where the 4 miles (6.4 km) marker is passed, before heading north. The normal route then passes close to the ruins of Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, my brother, and Queen Maud, my wife, and all my ancestors...
, before traversing the town centre between miles 6 and 7. Leaving the town centre by Oxford Road
Oxford Road, Reading
Oxford Road is a major arterial road in Reading, Berkshire, England, near the town centre. The road leads west to Pangbourne, continuing eventually to the city of Oxford. The road was previously known as Pangbourne Lane....
and a steep climb up Russell Street, the course then loops around West Reading
West Reading, Berkshire
West Reading is a district of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire.-Geography:The district has no formal boundaries, but the name is generally used to refer to the area to the west of Reading's town centre, to the north of the suburbs of Coley and Southcote, to the east of the...
until mile 10. The course then heads back south to Green Park, which it circuits before finishing in the Madejski Stadium.
Records
The current male course record is 61 minutes 19 seconds, by Patrick Makau in 2008. The female record is 69 mins 35 seconds, set by Liz YellingLiz Yelling
Elizabeth Anne Yelling is a British long-distance runner currently based in Poole, Dorset...
in 2008. The male wheelchair record is 45 minutes 59 seconds, set by David Weir in 2006, while the female wheelchair record is 66 minutes 37 seconds, set by Shelly Woods
Shelly Woods
Shelly Woods is an elite British Paralympic athlete from the suburb of Layton in Blackpool, Lancashire.Shelly started using a wheelchair at the age of 11 after a heavy fall which injured her spinal cord...
in 2004.
Dates and Winners
| Year | Date | Men's Race | Women's Race | Men's Wheelchair | Women's Wheelchair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | April 1 | |||||
| 2011 | March 20 | Simon Kasimili (1:03:08) | Edith Chelimo (01:11:22) | David Weir (00:48:18) | No starters | |
| 2010 | March 21 | Edwin Kipyego (1:03:03) | Susan Partridge (01:12:47) | ? | ? | |
| 2009 | March 29 | Kiplimo Kimutai (1:02:46) | Joyce Kirui (1:12:49) | Brian Alldis (0:54:37) | No starters | |
| 2008 | March 2 | Patrick Makau (1:01:19) | Liz Yelling Liz Yelling Elizabeth Anne Yelling is a British long-distance runner currently based in Poole, Dorset... (1:09:35) |
Tushar Patel (0:54:18) | No starters | |
| 2007 | March 25 | Simon Kasimili (1:03:36) | Louise Damen (1:10:47) | David Weir (0:46:06) | No starters | |
| 2006 | April 9 | Simon Kasimili (1:04:51) | Cathy Mutwa (1:12:10) | David Weir (0:45:59) | ? | |
| 2005 | March 6 | Julius Kimtai (1:01:51) | Cathy Mutwa (1:13:09) | ? | ? | |
| 2004 | March 7 | Julius Kimtai (1:01:38) | ? | Tushar Patel (0:54:36) | Shelly Woods Shelly Woods Shelly Woods is an elite British Paralympic athlete from the suburb of Layton in Blackpool, Lancashire.Shelly started using a wheelchair at the age of 11 after a heavy fall which injured her spinal cord... (1:06:37) |
|
| 2003 | March 9 | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| 2002 | March 10 | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| 2001 | Not run due to restrictions imposed during the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease or hoof-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids... |
|||||
| 2000 | March 12 | ? | ? | ? | ? | |