Where: The Swindon County Ground

When: 19 September 2021

At the heart of the south west's huge running community and with a famously fast course, Swindon is the perfect place for your next half marathon.

Starting and finishing in the Town Centre, the closed-road course is mostly flat with an incredible downhill final mile! The route takes you past some of the town's attractions - the beautifully restored Grade II listed Museum of the Great Western Railway, the Magic Roundabout, voted 4th scariest junction in Britain (don't worry it'll be closed to traffic!), the County Ground, home to Swindon Town FC since 1896, the chic Swindon Designer Outlet and the charming Old Town, the cultural heart of Swindon.

The race won the Bronze award in the 2018 Running Awards Best Half Marathon Category (< 5000 participants) and continues to grow each year. The Nationwide Building Society New Swindon Half Marathon 2019 also won the Racecheck Bronze Award and is one of the top rated races in the UK, as judged by you! 

The original Anglo-Saxon settlement of Swindon was built on top of a limestone hill and referred to as Suindune, derived from the Old English words "swine" and "dun" meaning "pig hill"! You'll love trotting around with runners from Swindon and across the south west, make the most of the town for post-run troughing and a brilliant day out.

Swindon Town Centre provides free parking for several thousand cars. The new car parks in Princes Street, or to the rear of Debenhams, are just a 0.4 mile walk to the start and a 0.3 mile walk from the finish.

Race Details

Registration: From 08:00 to 09:15.

Race Numbers: Participants who register on or prior to 12th September 2021 with a valid UK address can expect to receive their race pack by mail. Participants who provide an incomplete, invalid or non-UK address, together with anyone registering after 13th September 2021, will need to collect their race pack from registration on the day. If you expect, but fail to receive your pack by 15th September 2021, please contact us in order that we can prepare a replacement for collection on the day. To be fastened to the front of your top using the safety pins provided in your pack/at registration, your number should be visible at all times. Your race will be timed and the chip attached to the back of your number should not be removed.

Route: The course is traffic free, on closed roads and paths (with the exception of emergency responders and vehicles with specific permission). Please always be vigilant of other runners, spectators, dogs, cyclists and other users of public footpaths and rights of way.

Licensing: This race will be licensed with UK Athletics and the results submitted to Run Britain within a week of the race.

Pacers: Subject to the easing of additional COVID-19 restrictions, pacers will be offered at this race, covering times between 1h30 and 3h30. Should you wish to run at your own leisure, Pace Pockets are available for purchase from our pacing partners at www.pacepockets.run. Pace Pockets are fabric wristbands with a storage pocket for all your running essentials, such as keys, cards, cash or gels, printed with your choice of marathon or half marathon splits. Use promo code PPZERO during purchase to facilitate free delivery. 

Facilities

Bag Drop: We recommend bringing as little as possible to the race but, subject to the easing of additional COVID-19 restrictions, you can leave your belongings with us while you race using the tear-off baggage strip on your race number, collecting after you finish by presenting your race number.

Toilets: Portable toilets will be available at the start and finish area.

Race Marshals: Marshals will be present on the course throughout the race.

Distance Markers: The route will be clearly indicated with arrows, tape and distance markers where necessary.

Water Stations: There will be water stations on the route at regular intervals at which water will be provided.

Finisher Goodies: All runners will receive water and snacks on finishing the race.

Refreshments: Subject to the easing of additional COVID-19 restrictions, refreshments will be available at the start and finish.

Changing/Showers: There are no changing rooms or showers at this event.

Lost Property: Lost property from an event will be kept for one month. If unclaimed, or ownership cannot be determined, lost property items will be donated to charity.

Results/Prizes

Results: Results will be uploaded live to our website (internet connection permitting) and communicated to all pre-registered participants within 24 hours of the event.

Medals: All finishers will receive a medal on completing the race.

Prizes: Prizes will be awarded to the top three runners overall and the top runner in each of the veteran categories (V40/V50/V60/V70) for both males and females. Where possible, we will endeavour to present individual race prizes once validated on the day.

Further Information

Buggies/Pushchairs: This race is suitable for runners with buggies/pushchairs. You may be asked to sign a disclaimer, start at the back of the field and be vigilant of other runners overtaking during the race.

Wheelchair Users: This race is suitable for wheelchair users. You may be asked to start at the front of the field 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time and be vigilant of other runners overtaking during the race.

Earphones/Headphones: Noise-cancelling earphones/headphones are prohibited and whilst we discourage the use of other earphones/headphones at this event, participants choosing to use them should ensure they are set to a minimum volume such that instructions from marshals or other race officials can be clearly understood. We reserve the right to disqualify participants who cannot hear instructions as a result of their use.

Event Time-Limit: Whilst there is no strict time-limit for this race, in order that we adhere to the restrictions imposed by the council, it may be necessary for us to begin deconstruction of the course and finish area after approximately 4 hours in order to reopen roads by the agreed time.

Social Media

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