42.195 km

Distance

≈ 156 m

Elevation Gain

≈ estimate

≈ 4:22:00

Average Finish Time

≈ estimate

≈ 850

Total Finishers

≈ estimate

1982

Established

Flat

Profile

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Course & Elevation

The Abingdon Marathon is a not-for-profit road marathon in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, held on a Sunday in October and run by the race committee with the Abingdon Amblers athletics club and local volunteers. It was first held in 1982, and the 2026 race was its 42nd edition. The route starts and finishes on the athletics track at Tilsley Park Stadium. From there it takes runners through Abingdon town centre, along the Thames, through villages south of the town and back through Abingdon to the finish. For 2026 the route was revised: it went around Radley Lakes and followed a cycle route through the Abbey Grounds into the town centre, past the Abbey Gateway. The organisers describe the course as flat and fast and almost all on roads. The race starts at 9:00 a.m. and has a 5-hour cut-off. It is part of the Oxfordshire Road Running County Championships and is one of eight UK qualifying races for the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group World Rankings. Profits go to around 20 local charities; the race raised about £20,000 in 2025.

Surface: road Profile: Flat

Weather

Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record

Temperature 12°C

Humidity 78%

Rain Chance 35%

October in the Oxford area is mild and damp: average highs are around 15 °C and lows around 8 °C, with rain on about eleven days of the month.

Related Guides

The Race

Abingdon

Race Lore

Abingdon's Answer to London, 1982

1982 Origin

The Abingdon Marathon was conceived in the summer of 1981, when race coordinator Larry Blackwell joked that it could be 'Abingdon's answer to the London Marathon'. The first race was held on Sunday 3 May 1982, organised by the Radley Ladies Athletic Club and the Abingdon Lions Club and started by the Scottish Olympian Ian Stewart. It started and finished on Rye Farm Meadow beside the Thames, with just under 1,800 entrants. Dave Parsons of Carterton won in 2:22:04, and Miss V. Lees of Oxford was first woman in 3:22:33.

From People's Marathon to Amblers

1988 Tradition

The race was titled the Abingdon People's Marathon for its first four years. After seven years under the Radley Ladies Athletic Club and the Abingdon Lions Club, the organisation was taken over by Abingdon Amblers AC. In 1988 it incorporated the Oxfordshire Marathon Championships for the first time, won that year by Paul Cousins and Lillian Trimboli.

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Course Record

02:19:07

David Warren (1986)

Registration

Entry fee, registration dates and lottery rules are not confirmed here yet. Check the official registration page.

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Fun Facts

▸ For its first four years the race was called the Abingdon People's Marathon.
▸ The race has used four different routes over its history, which means the organisers keep separate course records for each.
▸ The race has included the marathon championships of Oxfordshire since 1988, and at various times those of Berkshire, Middlesex and the Army.
▸ The organisers say the event has produced the fastest Father Christmas and records for running with single and double buggies.

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