Great Bristol Half Marathon

Great Bristol Half Marathon
Date September
Location Bristol
Event type Half marathon
Distance 13 miles, 192.5 yards (21,097.5 metres)
Established 1989 (1989)
Course records Men's: 1:00:03 (Haile Gebrselassie, 2001)
Women's: 1:06:47 (Paula Radcliffe, 2001)
Official site Official Website

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 At-Bristol. 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. The runner's village is located at Millennium Square. The 2016 event took place on 25 September.

Fun runners taking part in the 2006 Bristol Half Marathon.

Race history

Bristol Marathon

The 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

The 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]

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.[5]

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.[6]

In 2011 a business challenge was introduced, to stimulate participation by colleagues within Bristol companies.

Past winners

Key:   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) 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[7] 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[8] 2011  Edwin Kipyego (KEN) 1:03:20  Gemma Steel (GBR) 1:13:32
24th 2012  Pius Ondoro Dominic (KEN) 1:02:51  Emily Biwott (KEN) 1:11:22
25th2013  Bernard Rotich (KEN)1:03:56  Emma Stepto (GBR)1:13:40
26th2014  Ben Siwa (UGA)1:03:55  Gladys Yator (KEN)1:13:01
27th2015  Morris Gachaga (KEN)1:01:32  Teresiah Omosa (KEN)1:13:48
28th2016  James Connor (GBR)[9]1:07:54  Jenny Spink (GBR)[10]1:14:58

All information taken from runbristol,[11] ARRS[12] and This is Bristol[13]

See also

References

  1. "Bristol Marathon returns after 29 years". BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. "New marathon from Bristol to Bath set for 2015". Athletics Weekly. 10 December 2014.
  3. "Everything You Need To Know". Bristol+Bath Marathon.
  4. http://www.runbristol.com
  5. "Bristol Half Marathon: Male runner dies". BBC News. 11 September 2011.
  6. "GREAT RUN LAUNCHES TWO NEW EVENTS". Great Run. 14 December 2015.
  7. Billed as the 'Cabot 500 Run Through History'
  8. "Bristol Half Marathon: Male runner dies". BBC Bristol. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  9. James Connor profile at Power of 10
  10. Jenny Spink profile at Power of 10
  11. Bristol half marathon: Race history
  12. Bristol Half Marathon
  13. Bristol half marathon winner Claire can run even faster, says coach. 12. September 2009
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