Difficulty
Marathon Index Score
Next Race
Sep 5, 2027
Get Your Training Plan
Free, personalized for this race
The Big Half is a half marathon through east and south-east London, run on closed roads from Tower Bridge to the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. It is organised by London Marathon Events and is held on a Sunday in early September; the first edition took place in March 2018, and after the COVID-19 pandemic the event moved to late summer. Runners start near Tower Bridge and head east through the Limehouse Tunnel to Canary Wharf, then return through Wapping and cross Tower Bridge. The route continues through Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Surrey Quays and Deptford to the finish beside the Cutty Sark. It passes through four boroughs: Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich. The organisers' course guide mentions a couple of hills, a short cobbled stretch in Wapping and a final climb over a short bridge 500 metres from the finish. The cut-off time is four hours, and entrants must be 17 or over on race day. The New Balance Big Relay and the Big Mile run on the same day. In 2025, 17,193 runners finished the half marathon. The course records are 1:00:22 for men, set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2020, and 1:07:35 for women, set by Eilish McColgan in 2022.
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
Early September in London is mild: average highs are around 20°C and lows around 12°C, with about eight days of measurable rain in the month.
The Race
London
The first Big Half was run on Sunday 4 March 2018, with about 11,000 runners at the start near Tower Bridge. Mo Farah won in 1:01:40 after a sprint finish against Daniel Wanjiru, and Charlotte Purdue was first woman in 1:10:29. Farah used the race as a warm-up seven weeks before the London Marathon.
Kenenisa Bekele holds the men's course record of 1:00:22, set in 2020. Eilish McColgan holds the women's record of 1:07:35, set in 2022, when she broke the previous course record of 1:09:51.
🏅 Create Your The Big Half Diploma
Finished this race? Get a free certificate with celebrity comparisons & race day weather
01:00:22
Kenenisa Bekele (2020)
Entry fee, registration dates and lottery rules are not confirmed here yet. Check the official registration page.
Register Now
Official Website →
Are you the race organizer?
Free · Get featured on our homepage · Edit your race details
Get alerts for The Big Half
Registration openings, date changes, sell-out warnings.