More than 12,000 people will be taking to the city’s streets this weekend for the 2025 GetPRO Bath Half Marathon.
The start of the 2024 Bath Half Marathon | Photo © Bath Half / Running High Events
The event on Sunday, 16th March, is being organised for the first time by new owners London Marathon Events (LME) and is the South West’s largest charity fundraiser.
New for 2025 is the inclusion of British Athletics trial races for the World Road Running Championships Half Marathon, which has attracted some of the country’s best endurance athletes to Bath.
Among the talent taking part is triathlon star Jonny Brownlee, plus Jess Warner-Judd and Jake Smith who are among the fastest Brits to ever run the half marathon distance.
Warner-Judd is the fourth fastest British woman in history, while Smith is the fifth quickest male.
Around 12,000 people are set to take part in the sold-out event, with the first participants setting off at 10.30am from Royal Victoria Park.
The two-lap route heads west along the north of the River Avon, hugging the river on the south side and looping back towards the city at Great Pulteney Street.
Participants will run back past Royal Victoria Park for the second lap, before finishing on Royal Avenue just past the historic Royal Crescent.
A list of road closures, along with details of the route, are available on the Bath Half website here.
The Official Starter of the event will be Karolina Pakenaite, a student at the University of Bath, who will also take on the 13.1 miles.
Karolina, who has Usher syndrome – a rare degenerative genetic condition affecting sight, hearing, and sometimes balance – will attempt next year to become the first deaf-blind person to climb Mount Everest.
Karolina said: “It is my third time running the Bath Half but this one will be truly special as I will be the Official Starter. For the past five years, Bath has been my home and I have created so many beautiful memories.
“So much has happened in those years, and I found something truly special here – the incredible communities of Bath. This city has looked after me so well, and so many of you have shown kindness in ways big and small.
“This run feels symbolic. Each step I take and every familiar face and place I pass will inevitably bring everything rushing back at once.
“I don’t know if there will ever be another event quite like the Bath Half – but no matter where the road leads next, this city will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Also new for this year is a family-friendly curtain-raiser to the main event – the GetPRO Bath Miles presented by Bath College.
On Saturday 15th March, people of all ages and abilities will enjoy running, walking, jogging or wheeling around a one-mile route in the grounds of Royal Victoria Park.
Groups of under-11 and under-14 girls will get the event underway at 10.45am, followed by under-11 and under-14 boys at 11.15am. Concluding the day are two family waves, at 11.30am and 12pm.
There will be activities on offer throughout the day on Middle Common in the park, provided by Bath College. These include face painting, circus skills and other free family-friendly activities. The Event Village opens at 9.30am and closes at 3pm.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director for London Marathon Events, said: “The GetPRO Bath Half is one of the UK’s best mass participation events. It has a long history of inspiring people to be active, raising millions of pounds for charity and showcasing the incredible city of Bath.
“We’re proud to be the new organisers of the event and are looking forward to welcoming more than 12,000 participants, many of whom will be raising vital funds for charities in the Bath and North Somerset area and across the UK.
“New for this year is the GetPRO Bath Miles presented by Bath College, offering events for all ages and abilities while the British Athletics trial race will provide spectators around the city the chance to see some of the best distance athletes in the country and one of our great Olympic triathlon gold medallists in Jonny Brownlee.”
In addition to Brownlee and Smith, the elite men’s race also features multiple Welsh cross-country champion Dewi Griffiths while the elite women’s race features Abbie Donnelly, sixth in the 2024 European Championships Half Marathon, Lily Partridge, the UK’s eighth-fastest female marathoner of all time, and Bath’s very own Anna Domville, who will be running on her home roads.
The top two male and top two female athletes at the GetPRO Bath Half will be selected to represent Great Britain in the half marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Road Running Championships, provided they are eligible for selection and have achieved the UK Athletics qualifying time.
