New route approved for Oxford Half Marathon
A new route has been approved for the Oxford Half Marathon 2012, which takes place on Sunday 14 October 2012.
After the inaugural race with 2,000 runners last year, the organisers wanted to grow the capacity and allow more participants to take part whilst also taking on board any constructive feedback received from runners. They have been working closely with Oxfordshire County Council and the Emergency Services and are pleased to unveil a new improved route for 2012.
The Oxford Half Marathon will start at 9.30 am on Grenoble Road near the Kassam Stadium and after the 13.1 miles runners will cross the finish line in the stadium, applauded by supporters, families and friends.
Some of the route’s highlights include running through the impressive MINI Plant Oxford and past the Iffley Road Track, known as the Roger Bannister running track where Sir Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes for the first time ever on 6 May 1954.
Runners will be passing the blue plaque which records the event on their way towards the city centre, taking in Oxford’s iconic dreaming spires and world famous university college grounds including Christ Church Meadow. After crossing Folly Bridge the route heads south onto the Thames Path before joining Oxford Road and finishing in the Kassam Stadium, home of Oxford United Football Club.
The new UKA licensed route can accommodate up to 6,000 runners and the course is largely traffic free with road closures in place.
Race Director Andy Heyes commented: “We have put a lot of thought and hard work into creating a new route for the 2012 race and are pleased to announce that the route has now been fully approved. We are very grateful for all the support received from both the City and County Council and we are proud to bring the Oxford Half Marathon back for 2012.”
Registration is open, go to www.oxfordhalfmarathon.com to secure your place now. Entry is £29 for affiliated runners and £31 for non-affiliated runners and all finishers receive a medal, a goodie bag and a Brooks technical t-shirt.
MINI Plant Oxford is the Headline Sponsor for the Oxford Half Marathon for the second year. Other partners include Brooks Sports (Sports Brand Partner), Up and Running (Sports Retail Partner), Garmin (Training Partner), Highland Spring and Tesco (Water and Delivery Partner) with BBC Radio Oxford being the Broadcasting Partner and The Oxford Mail the media partner for the Oxford Half Marathon 2012.
Oxford based charity Helen & Douglas House, a hospice providing care for children and young adults, is the Official Charity Partner for 2012.
Go to www.oxfordhalfmarathon.com for further details about the race and to enter now.