Over 13,000 runners take part in Oxford Half
Organisers say the 2024 event on Sun 13th October sold out in record time.
On Sunday 13th October Oxford's city streets saw over 13,000 runners take part in Oxford Half.
Organisers say this year’s Oxford Half sold out in record time, with the general entry places all being secured by May, earlier this year. Charity places also saw huge demand, with all official charity partner places filled as participants looked to fundraise for great causes.
The route weaved through the city, taking in the famous architecture in the city, while the Event Village took over University Parks. Live entertainment was available in the park and on-route to help runners get through the 13.1 mile run and chase their personal best.
The route began in the city centre, passing the sites of Old Marston village, the River Cherwell, Oxford University’s Lady Margaret Hall, before finishing on Parks Road.
Over 500 children from local schools who completed a half marathon challenge. Designed to encourage local children to get involved and active in the weeks leading up to the event, completing incremental runs up to a 12-mile target. Schoolchildren ran the final 1.1 miles together to complete their own half marathon, crossing the same finish line as the adult runners.
This year’s half marathon also included a field of elite runners, leading the charge through Oxford’s iconic streets, including a range of athletes that have competed on the international stage.
The first female finisher was Harriet Freeman, with Mark Pearce the fastest male.
First Three Finishers – Female
1\st – Harriet Freeman – 01:14:35
2\nd – Alex Eykelbosch – 01:15:11
3\rd – Grace Baker – 01:17:57
Top Three Finishers – Male
1\st – Mark Pearce – 01:05:18
2\nd – Hugo Fry – 01:07:18
3\rd – Chris Davies – 01:07:21
Top Three Finishers – Non-binary
1\st – Rattee Hensirisakul - 01:49:32
2\nd – Ben Seymour - 01:49:46
3\rd – Robert McDougall - 02:00:32
Oxford Half
Over £950,000 has already been raised by runners through the events’ official charity partners. National charities included Cancer Research UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan Cancer Support and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
Local charities were also partnered with the event, including SSNAP, Special Effect, Helen & Douglas House, Oxfordshire Mind, Restore, Sobell House, Oxford Food Hub, Thames Valley Air Ambulance, Oxford Hospitals Charity and Yellow Submarine, some of which had teams of runners representing them along the route.
Ian Allerton, Operations Director at Motiv Sports, said: “Today we saw once again why this is one of the most popular half marathons in the UK. The support was excellent, it is always great to see such an iconic city come together to celebrate our runners.
“Thanks as always to our volunteers, charities and every single person involved in raising money. Congratulations finally to our runners who are the heart of our events, it was a brilliant effort from everyone, and we can’t wait to do it again next year.”
He adds that they expect the 2025 Oxford Half marathon, |newtab) to be another sell-out.