The Big Half

Course & Elevation

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.