Reading Half Marathon

The Reading Half Marathon (currently known as the Unleashed Performance Reading Half Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a half marathon road 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]

Reading Half Marathon
Finish of the half marathon in 2010 at the Madejski Stadium
Date	March/April
Location	Reading, United Kingdom
Event type	Road
Distance	Half marathon
Established	1983 (42 years ago) (1983)
Official site	www.readinghalfmarathon.com

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.

Year	Date	Men's race	Women's race	Men's wheelchair	Women's wheelchair	Rf.
2024	14 April	Ben Cole (1:05:39)	Kate Estlea-Morris (1:14:26)			[20]
2023	2 April	Ollie Lockley (1:04:35)	Naomi Mitchell (1:12:12)			[4][21]
2022	3 April	James Connor (1:05:58)	Kate Drew (1:14:38)			[22]
2021	7 November	Omar Ahmed (1:02:14)	Philippa Bowden (1:13:29)			[23]
2020	5 April	postponed then cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic				[7][12][13]
2019	17 March	Scott Overall (1:03:50)	Stephanie Twell (1:11:37)	Chris Nash	No starters	[10][24]
2018	18 March	cancelled on the morning of the race due to heavy overnight snowfall				[25][26][27]
2017	19 March	Andy Vernon (1:03:08)	Charlotte Purdue (1:12:15)			[28][29]
2016	3 April	Robert Mbithi (1:03:57)	Jenny Nesbitt (1:12:54)	Gary Donald (1:22:41)	No starters	[30][31][32]
2015	22 March	Stephen Kiplagat (1:03:10)	Lily Partridge (1:10:32)	No starters	Mel Nicholls (1:05:17)	[15][16][33]
2014	2 March	Scott Overall (1:04:44)	Susan Partridge (1:12:18)			[34][35]
2013	17 March	Andrew Lesuuda (1:04:15)	Emily Biwott (1:12:14)	Phil Hogg (0:59:15)	Jade Jones (1:09:11)	[36][37][38]
2012	1 April	Edwin Kipyego (1:03:08)	Alice Mogire (1:11:01)	Stephen Lightbown (1:08:59)	Kate Rowe (3:15:35)	[2][39][40]
2011	20 March	Simon Kasimili (1:03:08)	Edith Chelimo (1:11:22)	David Weir (0:48:18)	No starters	[41][42][43]
2010	21 March	Edwin Kipyego (1:03:03)	Susan Partridge (1:12:47)			[44]
2009	29 March	Kiplimo Kimutai (1:02:46)	Joyce Kirui (1:12:49)	Brian Alldis (0:54:37)	No starters	[45]
2008	2 March	Patrick Makau (1:01:19)	Liz Yelling (1:09:35)	Tushar Patel (0:54:18)	No starters	[1][19]
2007	25 March	Simon Kasimili (1:03:36)	Louise Damen (1:10:47)	David Weir (0:46:06)	No starters	[18]
2006	9 April	Simon Kasimili (1:04:51)	Cathy Mutwa (1:12:10)	David Weir (0:45:59)		[17][46]
2005	6 March	Julius Kimutai (1:01:51)	Cathy Mutwa (1:13:09)			[47][48]
2004	7 March	Julius Kimutai (1:01:38)	Galina Ignatieva (1:14:27)	Tushar Patel (0:54:36)	Shelly Woods (1:06:37)	[5][17][47][49]
2003	9 March	Carl Warren (1:06:33)	Catherine Mutua (1:16:42)			[1]
2002	10 March	Michael Kosgei Rotich (1:03:23)	Andrea Green (1:16:36)	Tushar Patel (0:59:22)	Paula Craig (1:35:03)	[50]
2001	cancelled due to 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease					[51]
2000	12 March	Sammy Bitok (1:02:56)	Birhan Dagne (1:14:23)	No starters	Carol Hutchins	[52]
1999	14 March	Sammy Nyangincha (1:04:18)	Lyubov Denisova (1:15:18)			[1]
1998	15 March	James Kuria (1:03:59)	Maria Bradley (1:16:08)			[1]
1997	16 March	Spencer Duval (1:04:50)	Lucia Subano (1:15:44)			[1]
1996	31 March	Gary Staines (1:03:31)	Carolyn Horne (1:19:08)			[1]
1995	30 April	Baha Tulumba (1:04:49)	Kathryn Bailey (1:15:31)			[1]
1994	10 April	Andrew Leach (1:06:46)	Tanya Maria Ball (1:24:40)			[1]
1993	28 March	Paul Evans (1:01:38)	Alison Fletcher (1:16:49)	Ian Thompson (0:59:23)	Tanni Grey	[1][5]
1992	26 April	Steve Brace (1:02:20)	Scholasica Ndigingi (1:11:36)			[1][b]
1991	7 April	Steve Brace (1:04:28)	Celia Duncan (1:18:59 )			[1]
1990	1 April	Steve Brace & Nick Trainer (1:03:32)	Angie Pain (1:12:21)			[1]
1989	2 April	Paul Cuskin (1:04:11)	Marina Sammy (1:13:43)			[1]
1988	10 April	Paul Cuskin (1:03:16)	Karen MacLeod (1:14:09)			[1]
1987	5 April	Kevin Forster (1:02:07)	Paula Fudge (1:12:45)			[1]
1986	6 April	Paul Davies-Hale (1:02:39)	Ann Ford (1:12:09)			[1]
1985	24 March	Kingston Mills (1:03:55)	Véronique Marot (1:12:56)	Mike Bishop (1:16:31)		[1][53]
1984	25 March	Michael Hurd (1:04:39)	Karen Holdsworth (1:13:56)			[1][c]
1983	13 March	Mark Cursons (1:07:45)	Sarah Rowell (1:16:00)			[1][54]

Notes

1. 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]}
2. In 1992 the course was shortened by approximately 700 metres due to a bomb-scare.^[1]
3. The 1984 course appears to have been short of the full half marathon distance.^[1]