London Big Half 2027: Race Guide, Course, and Registration

London’s Most Diverse Half Marathon

The Big Half is a London race in the truest sense of the phrase. It starts in the shadow of Tower Bridge, takes you through the financial canyon of Canary Wharf, puts you on top of that iconic bridge at the halfway point in front of a roaring crowd, threads through the quieter riverside neighbourhoods of Rotherhithe and Deptford, and delivers you to the Cutty Sark in Greenwich in one of the most memorable finishes in British road running. Thirteen point one miles of proper London.

What separates it from every other half marathon in the city is how it was built. London Marathon Events created it in 2018 not just as a race but as a community festival with deep roots in the four east London boroughs along the route. In 2026, 37 percent of finishers were from ethnically diverse backgrounds and nearly 500 community groups took part. That is not a marketing claim — you feel it on the course. The steel bands, the Samba drummers, the cheer zones thick with local energy, the sheer variety of people on the start line and the pavement — nothing else in London running feels quite like it.

For runners who want London without the years-long wait of the marathon ballot, this race is the answer. Entry is open with no lottery. The course shares significant stretches with the TCS London Marathon route. The finishing straight past the Cutty Sark is genuinely one of the best moments in road racing anywhere in the UK. And because it falls on the first Sunday in September, the city is cool, the tourist crowds have thinned and London is at its most liveable.

The 2027 edition is the tenth running of the Big Half. Expect a record field, a strong British elite roster and the same street-party atmosphere that has made this one of the most talked-about half marathons in the country. Whether you are chasing a time, running 13.1 miles for the first time or using this as a build race before an autumn marathon, the Big Half earns its place on your calendar.

London Big Half 2027 — Race at a Glance

London Big Half 2027 — Registration and Entry

There is no ballot. The Big Half runs on open rolling entry — you pay, you are in, until the race reaches capacity. That alone sets it apart from almost every other major London race. Entry for 2027 is live now via the Let’s Do This platform, linked directly from the official LME website. Entries have been selling fast since the 2026 race, so do not sit on it.

Register for the 2027 London Big Half: londonmarathonevents.co.uk/big-half

What Makes the London Big Half Worth Running?

The Course Is Deceptively Challenging

The Big Half markets itself as inclusive and welcoming — and it is — but do not mistake accessible for easy. The course has four genuine rises, GPS chaos through Canary Wharf, cobblestones in Wapping and a lonely stretch in Rotherhithe where the crowd disappears and the miles slow down. The men’s course record has stood since 2020. That tells you something. This is not a PB machine in the way that Copenhagen or Lisbon are. It is an experience race that also happens to be a UK Athletics Championship. Runners who go in treating it as a gentle jog through London landmarks often find the second half deeply unpleasant. Runners who respect it get an unforgettable 13.1 miles.

Tower Bridge at Mile Seven Is the Highlight of British Road Racing

There are iconic moments on iconic courses all over the world, but crossing Tower Bridge midrace — crowds packed on both sides, the Thames below, the whole of south-east London stretching ahead — is something that gets every runner regardless of pace. The Big Half’s official pace-team coordinator, who has run the race seven times, calls it “possibly the best part of the course.” That is not marketing copy. It is worth entering this race just for that half-mile.

No Ballot — Just Register and Run

The Big Half operates on first-come first-served open entry. You register, you pay and you get your place. No lottery email, no years on a waiting list, no trying to qualify through a time standard. That is a genuine rarity in London running. The race does sell out, so entry earlier in the cycle is worthwhile, but you are not at the mercy of a random draw. If you have been looking for an accessible way onto London’s closed roads with a serious race atmosphere, this is it.

It Doubles as the UK Athletics Half Marathon Championships

The Big Half serves as the UK Athletics Half Marathon Championships most years, meaning the elite race is properly competitive. In 2026, Kadar Omar Abdullahi won the men’s race and the national title in 1:01:51 — his first Big Half win, ending Jack Rowe’s three-year reign. Eilish McColgan won the women’s race on her return from a broken toe, pulling clear in the final three miles. Running a mass-participation event with GB-level athletes on the same closed course, racing for national titles, raises the atmosphere considerably above what you get at most community halfs.

The Community Atmosphere Is Unlike Any Other Half in the UK

In 2026, 37 percent of finishers were from ethnically diverse communities. Nearly 500 community groups participated. The finisher medal and T-shirt were designed by REP Runners, one of London’s most recognisable run crews. Live steel bands, Samba drummers, DJs and choir groups line the route from Mile 1 to the finish. There is a free festival at Greenwich Park after the race. There is a free family Big Mile event on the final stretch of the course. This race was built to reflect what London actually looks like, and it does. If that matters to you — or to the people cheering you to the finish — it delivers in a way few events anywhere in the world manage.

It Is Part of the London Classics Challenge

The Big Half sits alongside RideLondon, Swim Serpentine and the TCS London Marathon as one of the four events in the London Classics — LME’s multi-sport challenge across a single calendar year. If you are building toward completing the full set, the Big Half is a natural and enjoyable leg of that journey. For international runners who want a London race experience without the marathon ballot or the marathon distance, it is the most logical entry point into LME’s event ecosystem.

The Course — Mile by Mile

Miles 1–3: Wide Roads, Hidden Hills

The race sets off near Tower Bridge on wide, traffic-free roads that feel generous after the start-pen crush. Use this stretch to settle and find your rhythm. The temptation to go out hard is real — the energy at the start is high, the roads are wide and the first mile is largely flat. Resist it. The first hidden trap comes at Mile 2 as you exit the Limehouse Tunnel. Going in is fast. Coming out is not. The incline on the far side of the tunnel is short but it catches runners who are already going 10 to 15 seconds per mile faster than target. A second rise appears at Mile 3 as the course climbs slightly into the Canary Wharf area. Two hills in the first three miles, neither of them steep, both of them easy to ignore on race day. Both will cost you later if you pay them no attention now.

Miles 4–6: Canary Wharf and the Wapping Cobbles

Canary Wharf is where the atmosphere picks up and the GPS drops out. The tower blocks block satellite signal reliably enough that your watch will give you fiction for a kilometre or more. Switch to the official mile markers — they are the only reliable distance reference through this section. The crowds are good here, the route has several twists and turns and the energy makes the effort feel easier than it is. After Canary Wharf the course threads back through Limehouse, narrows noticeably and delivers a short cobblestone section in Wapping. Take care on the cobbles. They are brief but unforgiving if wet, and an ankle roll here would ruin a well-prepared race day.

Miles 7–10: Tower Bridge and the Quiet Miles

Just before Mile 7, the course throws up its most significant climb — a sustained incline in the approach to Tower Bridge. After seven miles of running, it feels steeper than it is. What comes immediately after makes up for every step of it. The Tower Bridge crossing, with crowds thick on both sides and the Thames laid out far below, is the moment every Big Half runner remembers. Savour it. But do not surge. Many runners get carried away by the noise and the view and spend energy they will need in the next three miles.

After the bridge the course drops into Rotherhithe and the experience changes sharply. The crowds thin. The streets get quieter. There are stretches — through Bermondsey and into Rotherhithe — where the roadside support disappears almost entirely. This is where the Big Half is won or lost for recreational runners. If you went out hard in Canary Wharf and used your reserves on the Tower Bridge surge, Miles 8 to 10 will feel very long indeed. If you were disciplined through the opening six miles, they are manageable. Either way, the solitude catches people who are not expecting it.

Miles 11–13.1: The Greenwich Run-In

The crowd builds from Mile 11 as the course heads into Greenwich. The noise increases, the street support fills back in and the sense of arriving somewhere carries you through miles that might otherwise feel hard. With 500 metres to go there is one final short bridge climb — genuinely unpleasant when your legs are at Mile 13 — but the descent on the far side pushes you into Greenwich town centre. Make the final turn and the Cutty Sark fills your field of vision. The finish line is just ahead. Go.

London Big Half 2027 — Race Weekend Schedule

Expo and Packet Pickup

Weather at the London Big Half — What to Expect in September

Early September is one of London’s most reliable months for road racing. The summer heat has eased, humidity is tolerable and the city is past its August tourist peak. In most years, race morning is cool and bright with a light breeze off the Thames — close to ideal conditions for half-marathon effort. The occasional warm year can push mid-morning temperatures into the low 20s, which affects runners slower than around two hours. Check the forecast in the week before the race and plan hydration accordingly — the water stations at Miles 3, 6, 9 and 11 are well-positioned if you drink at all of them.

Past Results — London Big Half Champions

★ CR = Course Record still standing. Sources: London Marathon Events official results and World Athletics.

2026 Elite Podium

Full 2026 results are searchable at results.thebighalf.co.uk/2026

Spectator Guide — Where to Watch the London Big Half

Where to Stay for the London Big Half

The Big Half is a point-to-point race from Tower Bridge to Greenwich. Your base depends on your priority. Stay near Tower Bridge for an easy race morning. Stay in Greenwich for a quick walk to the festival. Central London works well for a city break but means a longer race-morning journey when roads close at 04:00. Book early — September in London is busy and Tower Bridge hotels fill up fast once race dates go live.

International Runners — Visa and Getting to London

A Short History of the London Big Half

The Big Half was created by London Marathon Events in partnership with Sported, a charity that uses community sport to support young people in disadvantaged areas. The inaugural race ran on 4 March 2018. Mo Farah won it — as he won most British road races he entered in that period. Charlotte Purdue took the women’s title, the first of three consecutive wins for her. The race was built around a straightforward idea: London needed a proper community half marathon tied to the east end boroughs it passed through. That idea turned out to be correct.

The most significant performance in the event’s history came on 1 March 2020, when Kenenisa Bekele — one of the greatest distance runners of all time — ran 1:00:22 to set a men’s course record that still stands. That race happened just days before the UK entered its first COVID lockdown, which gives it an odd historical weight: a world-class performance at what felt, in retrospect, like the last normal weekend before everything changed. The 2021 race was moved to August and from 2022 the event settled permanently into its September slot. The Vitality sponsorship that gave it its earlier full name ended, and the race now runs simply as the Big Half — a cleaner identity that suits where it has arrived in the British running calendar.

By 2026 it had become the UK’s largest mass participation running event by community representation: 37 percent of finishers from ethnically diverse backgrounds, 17,876 total finishers and a record broken for the second consecutive year. The 2027 edition is the tenth. A decade is a short time in marathon history, but the Big Half has packed a great deal into it: a world-class course record, two separate three-time men’s champions (Farah and then Rowe), a women’s course record from McColgan on the back of a Commonwealth Games double, and a growing identity as the race that most honestly reflects what London actually looks like.

How the London Big Half Compares