Photo by Ilya Grigorik via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Royal Parks Half Marathon
Half marathon in London, normally held in October. A mixed half marathon course — Almost entirely traffic-free through Hyde Park, Green Park, St James's and Kensington Gardens.
The Royal Parks Half Marathon at a glance
| Distances | Half marathon |
|---|---|
| Main distance | 21.1 km (half marathon) |
| Usually held | October |
| Course | Mixed |
| City | London, United Kingdom |
| Typical conditions | 15.5°C high / 8.8°C low, rain on ~38% of days |
Almost entirely traffic-free through Hyde Park, Green Park, St James's and Kensington Gardens.
Entering the Royal Parks Half Marathon
Entry fees, closing dates and start times are set by the organiser and change every year, so they are not reproduced here — a stale deadline is worse than none. The organiser’s own site and its social channels are the authoritative source for the current year, and are where entry opens.
What is stable, and what this page covers: the month the race is held, what the course is like, the conditions you should expect, and how long a build-up the distance needs.
Weather at previous Royal Parks Half Marathon races
Across the last ten years, London in October has averaged a daily high of 15.5°C and a low of 8.8°C, with at least a millimetre of rain on about 38% of days.
These are recorded observations for the race month averaged over ten years, not a forecast and not a single past race day — race dates move, so one day’s figures would mislead. Source: Open-Meteo historical archive.
How to prepare for the Royal Parks Half Marathon
How long to train
Build for 12 to 14 weeks from a base you already hold rather than from nothing. For half marathon the block should peak at a longest run of 18–20 km, reached at least two weeks before race day so there is time to taper. Ten days of reduced volume is enough of a taper at this distance; keep one short session at race pace in the final week.
Training for this course
The course mixes surfaces and gradients, so build a training block that does the same rather than repeating one flat loop. Vary where you run week to week so nothing on race day is unfamiliar.
Conditions in October
Conditions are usually good for racing: highs average 15.5°C and lows 8.8°C in October, which is close to ideal for half marathon running. Dress for the temperature about ten degrees warmer than it actually is, since you will warm up within two kilometres. Rain is common — around 38% of days that month see at least a millimetre — so do some training runs wet and know which kit does not chafe.
Fuelling
A half marathon needs one gel or its equivalent around the hour mark for most runners, and a normal breakfast two to three hours before the start. Practise the same timing in at least three long runs so race morning is a repeat, not an experiment.
Race week
Sleep matters most two nights before, not the night before, so protect that one. Keep eating normally with a modest tilt toward carbohydrate, lay out kit the night before, and do nothing new: no new shoes, no new breakfast, no new socks. Plan to arrive at the start with time to spare — half marathon fields move slowly through bag drop and security.
Distances and where the race is run
- Half marathon — 21.1 km
The pin marks London city centre, the area the Royal Parks Half Marathon starts and finishes in. This is not the course line: the route is set by the organiser and changes between editions, so the official course map for the current year is theirs to publish. The routes below are for training on the same roads.
Train on these roads: 10K routes in London · long runs in London · GPS art routes
Other races in London
- TCS London Marathon — Marathon, April
- London Landmarks Half Marathon — Half marathon, April
- The Big Half — Half marathon, 10K, 1 mile, September
- Vitality London 10,000 — 10K, May