The Big Half returns to London on Sunday, 7 September as the capital welcomes around 25,000 runners to one of the UK’s biggest half marathon events.
Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and the Cutty Sark are just some of the famed London landmarks and areas that participants will run through across a 13.1-mile course that covers Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham, and Greenwich.
And despite being dubbed “the city’s most vibrant celebration of community and movement”, plenty of elite runners will take part this weekend too, with the wheelchair races getting the event started around 8.25am before the elite women’s and men’s fields begin ahead of the mass start.
In the men’s elite race, defending champion Jack Rowe is looking to land his third straight win here, while the women’s field is headlined by three-time champion Charlotte Purdue as well as Jess Warner-Judd and Samantha Harrison, two of the UK’s fastest half-marathon runners of all time.
Here is everything you need to know about the Big Half.
What is the schedule?
The elite wheelchair races will begin at 8.25am BST, when the first groups of participants set off. Previous years have seen the elite runners then set off at 8.30am, with groups staggered by 10 minutes from that point.
The event also includes the New Balance Big Relay, which allows groups of up to four people to tackle the half marathon distance together in relay format.
How to watch
Though no official viewing information for this year’s race has been published yet, in previous years BBC iPlayer has shown coverage of the event. In addition, you can watch on the official Big Half website here.
What is the route?
The 13.1-mile course begins next to Tower Bridge, with runners carrying on east to do a loop around Canary Wharf, then turning back on themselves and passing through Wapping before crossing Tower Bridge in Bermondsey. Participants will then pass through Rotherhithe, Surrey Quays and Deptford, before crossing the finish line in Greenwich at the Cutty Sark.
Results
Men’s elite
1. Rowe, Jack (GBR) – 01:04:08
2. Aadan, Mohamud (GBR) 01:04:46
3. Ghebresilasie, Weynay (GBR) 01:04:53
4. Lockley, Ollie (GBR) 01:04:55
5. Surafel, Paulos (GBR) 01:05:50
6. Eglen, Sam (GBR) 01:06:15
7. Menges, Tewelde (GBR) 01:06:28
8. Milne, Alex (GBR) 01:07:17
9. Cornish, Jonathan (GBR) 01:07:38
10. Clarke, Adam (GBR) 01:07:48
Women’s elite
1 Warner-Judd, Jessica (GBR) 01:10:35
2. Donnelly, Abbie (GBR) 01:11:24
3. Harrison, Samantha (GBR) 01:11:40
4. Purdue, Charlotte (GBR) 01:12:36
5. Townsend, Heather (GBR) 01:14:46
6. Evans-Graham, Clara (GBR) 01:16:40
