Bristol Half Marathon
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Bristol Half Marathon |
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| Date and location | September Bristol |
| Race type | Half marathon |
| Distance | 13 miles, 192.5 yards (21,097.5 meters) |
| Established | 1989 |
| Official site | Official Website |
The Bristol Half Marathon is an annual road running event held on the streets of Bristol, UK. The route is at sea level and winds through the city centre, along the Avon Gorge and under the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The 2008 event is due to take place on Sunday 14 September.
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[edit] Race history
- Bristol Marathon
The half-marathon had been preceded locally by the Bristol Marathon, first run in 1982; another full marathon in the Bristol area had been started by Kingswood the previous year. The Bristol route was held in July(?) and ran from the exhibition centre along the Portway to Severn Beach, returning via the Avonmouth trading estate. The Portway return, though scenic, was hot and shared with traffic, so a modified route was devised for the following years. The Kingswood run was shortened to a half marathon in 1984/5.
- Bristol Half-Marathon
The first Bristol Half Marathon was held in 1989, with just 1000 runners competing. The event has grown every year since with 12,000 competitors in 2005 and 15,000 in the 2006 edition of the race.[1]
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.
Since 2005, a sponsorship deal means that the race is now officially called the Reebok Bristol Half Marathon. Prior to this, it was known as the BUPA Bristol Half Marathon.
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.
[edit] Former Winners
| Year | Men's Race Winner | Women's Race Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 |  Kassa Tedisa (1:04:52) |
 Trudi Thomson (1:18:36) |
| 2001 |  Haile Gebrselassie (1:00:03) |
Paula Radcliffe (1:06:47) |
| 2002 |  Hilary Lelei (1:05:29) |
Emily Samoie (1:16:42) |
| 2003 | Julius Kibet (1:02:51) |
Miryam Wangari (1:12:20) |
| 2004 | Simon Tonui (1:04:18) |
Miryam Wangari (1:13:40) |
| 2005 | Wilfred Taragon (1:03:30) |
Birhan Dagne (1:12:53) |
| 2006 | Patrick Makau (1:03:38) |
Cathy Mutwa (1:12:35) |
| 2007 | Tewodros Shiferaw (1:03:01) |
Jane Muia (1:10:35) |
