The Reading Half Marathon (currently known as the Unleashed Performance Reading Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a half marathonroad running event held on the streets of the English town of Reading, first held in 1983. The race is normally held on a Sunday in March or early April of each year. The race is open to everyone from fun runner to elite athlete, and was one of the first town races to include wheelchair athletes.[1][2]
The 2024 race was held on 14 April. The 2025 race is scheduled to be held on 23 March.[3]
History
The race was first run on 13 March 1983, and has been run every year since, with the exceptions of 2001, 2018, and 2020. From 2003 to 2018 the race was organised by Sweatshop, the chain of running equipment shops founded by Chris Brasher in 1971. From 2019 the race was organised by Goldline Events, who also organise the Ikano Bank Robin Hood Marathon Events and goGIRL (Brighton & Hove). Since 2021, the race has been sponsored by Unleashed Performance, promoters of fitness centres, nutritional products and performance wear. Previously headline sponsors have included Digital, Asics, Mizuno, Vitality and Sage.[1][4][5][6]
In 2001, the race was cancelled due to restrictions imposed during the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. In 2018, the race was cancelled due to heavy overnight snowfall. The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all entries automatically transferred to 2021 and all registrants given the option of transferring their entry to another runner or to 2022. For similar reasons, the 2021 edition of the race was postponed to November of that year.[7][8][9][a]
Course
The half marathon climbing Russell Street in West Reading in 2004
The Reading Half Marathon has had several courses over its life. The inaugural race in 1983, and several subsequent races, used University of Reading's Whiteknights Campus for both the start and finish. Other early courses involved use of the South Reading Leisure Centre and the Rivermead Sports Centre, on the banks of the River Thames, as start and/or finish, but recent races have used Green Park Business Park and the adjacent Madejski Stadium, both to the south of Reading, for these purposes.[1][14]
The current course starts in Green Park Business Park, which it loops before proceeding eastwards through Whitley Wood to the Whiteknights Campus, which lies between the 4-mile (6.4 km) and 5-mile (8.0 km) markers. The route then heads north, passing close to the ruins of Reading Abbey and through the Abbey Gateway, before traversing the town centre between the 6-mile (9.7 km) and 8-mile (13 km) markers. Leaving the town centre by Oxford Road and a steep climb up Russell Street, the course then loops around West Reading until the 11-mile (18 km) marker. The course then heads back south to the Madejski Stadium, where it finishes within the stadium.[15]
Records
In 2005, Julius Kimutai chases down Malack Olemengera and a wheelchair athlete.
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 Yelling in 2008. The male wheelchair record is 45 minutes 59 seconds, set by David Weir in 2006, while the female wheelchair record is 65 minutes 17 seconds, set by Mel Nicholls in 2015.[1][16][17][18][19]
Winners
In 2007, the marathon passes down Liebenrood Road.In 2019, the marathon passes through Reading's Abbey Gateway.In 2023, the marathon passes along the Bath Road.
^The 2020 race was originally due to be held on Sunday 5 April. However on 15 March it was announced that the race had been postponed due to the pandemic. The race was later scheduled for Sunday 1 November before being cancelled.[10][11][12][13][7]
^In 1992 the course was shortened by approximately 700 metres due to a bomb-scare.[1]
^The 1984 course appears to have been short of the full half marathon distance.[1]
^ ab"Reading Half Marathon". Unleashed Performance Reading Half Marathon Goldline Events Limited. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^ abc"Important Announcement". Reading Half Marathon Goldline Events Limited. 3 September 2020. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
^"Official Results"(PDF). Unleashed Performance Reading Half Marathon Goldline Events Limited. Archived(PDF) from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
