The Bath Half Marathon (stylised as BATHALF) is an annual road running half marathon held in Bath, England, normally on the second or third Sunday in March. It has been held almost every year since 1982. The race was first run in the year after the first London Marathon and has remained a popular race for runners preparing for that event. The next race is scheduled for Sunday 14 March 2027.

It is the largest one-day charity fundraising event in South West England, raising over £2.2 million for charity in 2016.

Course

The Bath Half is generally considered to be a fast flat course, straddling both sides of the River Avon. The race starts and finishes at Royal Victoria Park.

The route follows two laps from the park, first heading westbound out of the city centre along the A4 road (Upper Bristol Road and Newbridge Road) to Newbridge and crossing New Bridge at the Twerton Fork at the beginning of the dual carriageway. From here the race heads eastbound on the A36 back towards the city centre, along Lower Bristol Road, past Churchill Bridge, then continues up Rossiter Road and Pulteney Road South, before going into Great Pulteney Street, U-turning at the former start and finish location and heading back down to Churchill Bridge via the same route to complete the out-and-back section.

The route then crosses the River Avon via the Churchill Bridge, heads past the city centre and Green Park via the A367, before cutting through Monmouth Place to re-join Upper Bristol Road and begin the second lap.

The second lap follows largely the same route as the first, however, the out-and-back section is not included for a second time, and the route makes a direct left turn at the Churchill Bridge instead.

At the Monmouth Place, the route breaks-off from the main loop and continues straight-on up Chapel Row, Queen Square and Queen's Parade as the incline begins to steepen. The route then heads up the only significant hill in the course: the final climb up Royal Avenue back into the park. The incline flattens-out for the final 200 metres of the route where it finishes in front of the famous Royal Crescent.

History The course used largely the same route from 2006 to 2020, starting and finishing on Great Pulteney Street with Bath Recreation Ground as the race headquarters.

Major changes to the race were made in 2022. The race relocated to Royal Victoria Park, starting at nearby Queen Square and finishing in the park, next to the new race village. The new course followed largely the same roads but in reverse order. The out-and-back section along Great Pulteney Street was introduced, with the direction of the main loop being reversed; the route ran westbound along Lower Bristol Road and eastbound along Newbridge Road and Upper Bristol Road, finishing with a sharp incline up Marlborough Lane.

In 2023, the course was revised again: the start and finish were both moved to the park's Royal Avenue, and the main loop was switched back to its original direction. Another tweak to the start was implemented in 2025, with it moving to the other side of Marlborough Lane. The finish remained unchanged.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic The 2020 event faced criticism after it went ahead on despite the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly increasing; the UK went into lockdown nine days after the race took place.

A number of organisations pulled out, and local MP Wera Hobhouse called for it to be cancelled, saying "protecting the most vulnerable in our city from a further spread of the infection must be the priority." Organisers denied accusations they were irresponsible, and the event took place with half the usual number of participants. Bath MP Wera Hobhouse later said lives probably would have been saved had the event been cancelled, but the "organiser had no guidance from Government to stop the event." Bath Half race director said "We are not aware of any data or evidence linking outdoor participation events such as the Bath Half with the spread of COVID-19, or with any fatalities from COVID-19 ... In the absence of any such data this type of discussion could be regarded as speculation, even scaremongering."

The 2021 event was first postponed to September, and then cancelled in April 2021 owing to uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 restrictions, combined with planned road closures for improvement works.

Post-COVID-19 pandemic The 2022 event was originally scheduled for 13 March, but the race was subsequently pushed back to 29 May due to "pressure on the highways" while extensive roadworks were ongoing in the city. The race was then postponed for a third time, being moved to 16 October.

The 2023 event remained at the autumn date, taking place on 15 October, and in 2024 the race returned to its traditional March date for the first time since the pandemic.

Results YearDateCompetitors Athlete Nationality Time (h:m:s) Athlete Nationality Time (h:m:s)202615 March12,632Joe Wigfield1:02:07Alex Bell1:09:15202516 March11,134Jake Smith1:02:20Abbie Donnelly1:09:54202417 March8,421Omar Ahmed1:04:42Becky Briggs1:14:2420239,240Jonathan Escalante-Phillips1:04:25Phillipa Williams1:13:05 2022 6,857 Kadar Omar 1:05:04 Atsede Gidey 1:11:542021Cancelled due to COVID-19 & highways restrictions 202015 March 6,827 Paul Pollock 1:04:14 Becky Briggs 1:14:34 201917 March 11,348 Chris Thompson 1:03:09 Kate Reed 1:12:44 20184 MarchCancelled due to snow 201712 March 12,748 Ben Fish 1:05:16 Ruth Barnes 1:15:32 201613 March 11,352 Robert Mbithi 1:01:45 Lenah Jerotich 1:12:24 20151 March 11,693 Paul Martelletti 1:05:27 Emma Stepto 1:13:48 20142 March 11,208 Nicholas Kirui 1:03:13 Perendis Lekapana 1:10:53 20133 March 11,062 Tewodros Shiferaw 1:03:26 Polline Wanjiru 1:10:28 201211 March10,695 Edwin Kiptoo 1:02:01 Jane Muia 1:11:1920116 March10,848Edwin Kipkorir1:04:00Edith Chelimo1:11:2520107 March5,293Ezekiel Cherop1:03:03Michelle Ross-Cope1:12:07200915 March10,690Simon Tonui1:03:09Joyce Kandia1:11:49200816 March10,054Raymond Tonui1:05:21Roman Gebresse1:13:09200725 March8,165Tewodros Shiferaw1:02:09Liz Yelling1:09:27200619 March5,993Simon Kasimili1:04:08Cathy Mutwa1:12:43200520 March5,898Simon Tonui1:02:53Susan Partridge1:13:10200414 March3,767Joseph Riri1:02:20Miriam Wangari1:14:37200316 March3,582Huw Lobb1:04:51Debbie Robinson1:11:57200210 March3,486William Musyoki1:04:14Jo Lodge1:14:01200111 March3,091Paul Green1:04:57Annie Emmerson1:11:13200012 March2,831Alan Sheppard1:05:48Helen Purdy1:15:55199921 MarchUnknownTony Graham1:06:58Debbie Gunning1:18:3619988 MarchUnknownStuart Hall1:06:52Melanie Ellis1:15:34199716 MarchUnknownGareth Davies1:06:55Hayley Nash1:18:37199617 MarchUnknownPhil Makepeace1:05:15Hayley Nash1:16:10199519 MarchUnknownDavid Taylor1:04:22Karen MacLeod1:14:17199420 March2,321Chris Buckley1:03:44Hayley Nash1:13:15199314 MarchUnknownSteve Brace1:04:05Andrea Wallace1:09:39199215 MarchUnknownColin Walker1:03:59Ann Roden1:15:26199117 MarchUnknownChris Buckley1:04:41Karen MacLeod1:13:31199018 MarchUnknownSteve Brace1:05:11Veronique Marot1:13:46198919 MarchUnknownJohn Wheway1:04:26Bronwen Cardy-Wise1:15:20198820 MarchUnknownJohn Wheway1:04:11Sally Ellis1:11:38198715 MarchUnknownJohn Wheway1:03:02Veronique Marot1:11:53198616 MarchUnknownSteve Anders1:02:35Veronique Marot1:10:23198517 MarchUnknownSteve Anders1:03:29Veronique Marot1:11:10198418 MarchUnknownMaurice Cowman1:04:13Priscilla Welch1:12:13198320 MarchUnknownNigel Gates1:04:24Annette Roberts1:15:35198221 MarchUnknownNigel Gates1:03:01Joyce Smith1:11:45

References

External links

Bath Half Marathon on the ARRS website