The Oxford Half marathon will debut a brand-new route this year designed to improve race day experience for runners, spectators, local businesses and city centre crowds.
The headline change is that the start and finish line will now be at the same location on Mansfield Road, lessening the impact on businesses on Broad Street and reducing Saturday road closures. The move also eases crowd congestion on Broad Street, the previous start line, allowing for easier spectator movement.
Mansfield Road provides finishers with more room when crossing the line. This gives extra space to those starting their recovery and collecting their rewards, compared to the previous end point on Parks Road.
Early in the route, a loop has been added in Summertown and Cutteslowe that adds 1.3km to this section with an additional 550m added via an extension to the turn point along Banbury Road.
The first finisher is expected to cross the line 10:35 following a 09:30 start. The last runner is estimated to finish at 13:44, with all roads reopening by 15:00, except Mansfield Road which will be closed until 20:00 to allow deconstruction of the start and finish line gantry.
Organisers of the Oxford Half, Motiv Sports UK, continue to work with the local highways authority, emergency services and other relevant stakeholders to minimise the impact of the iconic event on the city and its residents. Over 13,000 participants are signed up for the race on October 12.
