Maidenhead Half Marathon
Maidenhead Half Marathon is an annual running race held in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. The inaugural race took place on Sunday 4 September 2011, starting at 9.30am, and attracted over 2,000 entrants.[1] It was organised by local company Purple Patch Running.
Past winners
| Year | Date | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Charles Coleman | 1:12:02 | Samantha Amend [2] | 1:19:39 | |
| 2012 | Jonathan Stead | 1:10:56 | Shona McIntosh | 1:17:49 | |
| 2013 | Tim Haughian | 1:11:49 | Alex Gounelas | 1:20:11 | |
| 2014 | Michael Hiscott | 1:07:34 | Amy Clements | 1:20:39 | |
| 2015 [3] | 6 September | Peter Thompson | 1:10:48 | Tracy Barlow | 1:17:29 |
| 2016 [4] | 4 September | Matthew Richards | 1:12:25 | Tracy Barlow | 1:15:51 |
Course
Maidenhead Half Marathon has a fast flat course [5] with an overall elevation change of less than 10m and therefore provides excellent PB potential.
2011
The original course took in some of the most attractive local scenery including Bray, Maidenhead Riverside and Cookham. Starting in front of the Town Hall, runners made their way round the town centre before heading out along the A308 towards Windsor. Around the 3-mile (4.8 km) mark the route turned left and headed into Bray Village, then along Oldfield Road and through Guards Club Park to Maidenhead Bridge. Next was a scenic, mile-long stretch alongside the River Thames before runners made their way to Cookham on Ray Mead Road. The route then turned left onto The Causeway, then back towards Maidenhead on Maidenhead Road. Approaching Maidenhead the runners turned left again and followed Cookham Road as far as Kidwells Park. The final part of the route went through the centre of Kidwells Park, under the A4, down the High Street, and looped around Chapel Arches before finishing in front of the Town Hall.
2012
For 2012 the route was altered to two laps of the Maidenhead/Cookham half of the route, staying north of the A4 throughout. Although less picturesque, this reduced congestion at the start and gave spectators a better opportunity to see the action. The amended route was voted in 4th place for PB potential in the Runner's World Races of the Year 2012 Awards.
Number for life
Maidenhead Half Marathon offers an unusual feature in that participants keep their race number for life. A charity auction allows people to bid for desirable numbers, with all proceeds going to a local charity called The Link Foundation. In 2011 this raised over £2,600[6] and attracted a winning bid of £300 for the number "1".[7]
References
- ↑ Amanda Hall, "Final preparations underway for Maidenhead half marathon", Maidenhead Advertiser, 1 September 2011
- ↑ Alistair Hendrie, "Amend's joy at half marathon success", Maidenhead Advertiser, 6 September 2011
- ↑ David Lee (7 September 2015). "In pictures: Maidenhead Half Marathon 2015". Maidenhead Advertiser. Maidenhead Advertiser. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ↑ David Lee (5 September 2016). "Picture special: Maidenhead Half Marathon". Maidenhead Advertiser. Maidenhead Advertiser. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ↑ Maidenhead Half Marathon route map
- ↑ JustGiving page for charity auction of race numbers for Maidenhead Half Marathon 2011
- ↑ Amanda Hall, "Maidenhead Half Marathon's No.1 runner chosen", Maidenhead Advertiser, 4 August 2011
- "First Maidenhead Half Marathon to be held". Windsor Express. 21 May 2011.
- "Maidenhead holding its first half marathon". BBC News. 23 May 2011.
- "Sign up for Maidenhead's first half marathon". Maidenhead Advertiser. 2 June 2011.
- "More women urged to sign up for Maidenhead's first half marathon". Maidenhead Advertiser. 22 June 2011.
- "Places filling up quickly for Maidenhead's first half marathon". Maidenhead Advertiser. 8 July 2011.
- "Maidenhead half marathon souvenir special published today". Maidenhead Advertiser. 8 September 2011.