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.

The 2024 race was held on 14 April. The 2025 race is scheduled to be held on 23 March.

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.

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.

Course

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.

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 and 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 and markers. Leaving the town centre by Oxford Road and a steep climb up Russell Street, the course then loops around West Reading until the marker. The course then heads back south to the Madejski Stadium, where it finishes within the stadium.

Records

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.

Winners

Year Date Men's race Women's race Men's wheelchair Women's wheelchair 202414 AprilBen Cole (1:05:39)Kate Estlea-Morris (1:14:26)20232 AprilOllie Lockley (1:04:35)Naomi Mitchell (1:12:12)20223 AprilJames Connor (1:05:58)Kate Drew (1:14:38)20217 NovemberOmar Ahmed (1:02:14)Philippa Bowden (1:13:29)20205 April postponed then cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic201917 MarchScott Overall (1:03:50)Stephanie Twell (1:11:37)Chris NashNo starters 2018 18 March cancelled on the morning of the race due to heavy overnight snowfall 201719 MarchAndy Vernon (1:03:08)Charlotte Purdue (1:12:15)20163 AprilRobert Mbithi (1:03:57)Jenny Nesbitt (1:12:54)Gary Donald (1:22:41)No starters201522 MarchStephen Kiplagat (1:03:10)Lily Partridge (1:10:32)No startersMel Nicholls (1:05:17)20142 MarchScott Overall (1:04:44)Susan Partridge (1:12:18)2013 17 March Andrew Lesuuda (1:04:15) Emily Biwott (1:12:14) Phil Hogg (0:59:15) Jade Jones (1:09:11)2012 1 April Edwin Kipyego (1:03:08) Alice Mogire (1:11:01) Stephen Lightbown (1:08:59) Kate Rowe (3:15:35)2011 20 March Simon Kasimili (1:03:08) Edith Chelimo (1:11:22) David Weir (0:48:18) No starters2010 21 March Edwin Kipyego (1:03:03) Susan Partridge (1:12:47)2009 29 March Kiplimo Kimutai (1:02:46) Joyce Kirui (1:12:49) Brian Alldis (0:54:37) No starters2008 2 March Patrick Makau (1:01:19) Liz Yelling (1:09:35) Tushar Patel (0:54:18) No starters2007 25 March Simon Kasimili (1:03:36) Louise Damen (1:10:47) David Weir (0:46:06) No starters20069 April Simon Kasimili (1:04:51) Cathy Mutwa (1:12:10) David Weir (0:45:59)20056 March Julius Kimutai (1:01:51) Cathy Mutwa (1:13:09)20047 March Julius Kimutai (1:01:38) Galina Ignatieva (1:14:27) Tushar Patel (0:54:36) Shelly Woods (1:06:37)20039 March Carl Warren (1:06:33) Catherine Mutua (1:16:42)200210 March Michael Kosgei Rotich (1:03:23) Andrea Green (1:16:36) Tushar Patel (0:59:22) Paula Craig (1:35:03)Reading Evening Post, 2002-03-13, pages 23–42 2001 cancelled due to 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease 200012 March Sammy Bitok (1:02:56) Birhan Dagne (1:14:23) No starters Carol HutchinsReading Evening Post, 2000-03-15, pages 21–36199914 March Sammy Nyangincha (1:04:18) Lyubov Denisova (1:15:18)199815 March James Kuria (1:03:59) Maria Bradley (1:16:08)199716 March Spencer Duval (1:04:50) Lucia Subano (1:15:44)199631 March Gary Staines (1:03:31) Carolyn Horne (1:19:08)199530 April Baha Tulumba (1:04:49) Kathryn Bailey (1:15:31)199410 April Andrew Leach (1:06:46) Tanya Maria Ball (1:24:40)199328 March Paul Evans (1:01:38) Alison Fletcher (1:16:49) Ian Thompson (0:59:23) Tanni Grey199226 April Steve Brace (1:02:20) Scholasica Ndigingi (1:11:36)19917 April Steve Brace (1:04:28) Celia Duncan (1:18:59 )19901 April Steve Brace & Nick Trainer (1:03:32) Angie Pain (1:12:21)19892 April Paul Cuskin (1:04:11) Marina Sammy (1:13:43)198810 April Paul Cuskin (1:03:16) Karen MacLeod (1:14:09)19875 April Kevin Forster (1:02:07) Paula Fudge (1:12:45)19866 April Paul Davies-Hale (1:02:39) Ann Ford (1:12:09)198524 March Kingston Mills (1:03:55) Véronique Marot (1:12:56) Mike Bishop (1:16:31)198425 March Michael Hurd (1:04:39) Karen Holdsworth (1:13:56)198313 March Mark Cursons (1:07:45) Sarah Rowell (1:16:00)

Notes

References

External links

Reading Half Marathon official website Reading Half Marathon Forums at realbuzz.com Interactive Map of Reading Half Marathon Video report on the 2011 half-marathon