15,000 on their marks for big race

Runners in this year’s Bath Half will need an additional map as organisers lay on a new family fun run.

The 0.75-mile fun run suits runners of all ages and abilities and takes place immediately after the start of the half marathon.

There will be as many as 15,000 people lining up to run the 13.1mile main race.

Organisers said: “The Bath Half Marathon is a fast, flat course, straddling both sides of the River Avon and avoiding all the hills surrounding the city.

“It is an ‘honest’ two-lap course with proven PB (‘personal best’ time) criteria, entirely traffic-free (full road closures throughout).

“Even at the front end you’ll have plenty of company to pull you round for a good time.

“This is a ‘big city’ race, starting and finishing at the same point in Great Pulteney Street - with a roadway spanning 46 feet - one of the widest Georgian boulevards in Europe and a course that threads through the heart of this historic city.”

Bath is a famously hilly city, and surrounded by seven large hills.

But fear not: the course manages to avoid all of them.

And the first mile is a slight downhill (you’ll pay for this later) along Pulteney Road to Churchill Bridge, so you won’t have to expend too much energy to get off to a flier.

Runners then go past Green Park Station and around Queen Square (this is the most popular and crowded spot for spectators).

They then head down Charlotte Street and along Upper Bristol Road.

There is a slight uphill to Newbridge Road and they will stay on this until reaching the mile 4 mark at the beginning of the dual carriageway.

The race then loops onto Lower Bristol Road which runs past Twerton and back to Churchill Bridge in the city centre.

Runners head up to Green Park again for the start of the second lap.

It follows the same route as the first but on the second lap runners will pass Churchill Bridge, onto Pulteney Road and along for the finish on Great Pulteney Street.