01 / KNOW THE ROUTE
What the course asks of you
Miles 1 to 3: Limehouse Tunnel and the first climbs
The organiser’s course rundown says the roads are wide but crowded at the start. Runners go through Limehouse Tunnel, with a short climb out of the tunnel at mile 2 and another at mile 3 as you enter the Canary Wharf area. Treat these miles as your warm-up and avoid weaving.
Miles 4 to 10: Canary Wharf, Wapping and Tower Bridge
The tall buildings in Canary Wharf can upset GPS, so the organiser advises using the mile markers. There are a few twists and turns, the road narrows back in Limehouse, and there is a short cobbled section in Wapping. Just before Tower Bridge there is what the organiser calls a slightly uncomfortable incline, then the bridge crossing and some quieter roads in Rotherhithe.
Mile 11 to the finish: Greenwich
The crowds grow as you approach Greenwich. With about 500 metres to go there is one last climb over a short bridge, then a decline into Greenwich town centre. The Cutty Sark comes into view at the final turn.
02 / BUILD THE BLOCK
How to prepare
Include short climbs
The course has a handful of short rises: out of Limehouse Tunnel, into Canary Wharf, before Tower Bridge and over the bridge near the finish. A weekly set of short hill reps, or steady runs on a route with short climbs, prepares you to hold effort over them.
Learn your pace by feel
Because GPS can be unreliable around Canary Wharf, practise steady and tempo efforts by feel and breathing. Check them against your watch afterwards, so on race day you know what target effort feels like.
Train through the summer
Most of the block falls in July and August. Run long runs and harder sessions early in the day when it is hot, practise drinking on the move, and be willing to slow down in the heat rather than force a pace.
Keep the running and strength work in one place. Explore MaxMile for your Big Half preparation, or compare the levels of personal coaching.
03 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Pace the race you have trained for
Start in your wave; you can move back to a later wave on the day but not forward. The organiser’s pace team coordinator suggests using the first three miles as a warm-up and resisting the urge to speed up in Limehouse Tunnel.
Through Canary Wharf, pace by effort and the mile markers rather than your watch. He also suggests breaking the race into three-mile or 5K sections and checking in at the end of each. Save something for the incline before Tower Bridge and the short bridge near the end. Pacers cover finish times from 1:30 to 3:50.
04 / MAKE ROOM FOR TRAINING
When should your block start?
The 2027 Big Half is on Sunday 5 September. A 12-week half-marathon block would begin around Sunday 13 June 2027, or a 10-week block around Sunday 27 June. Your longest runs and key sessions will fall in July and August, so plan around summer holidays and hot weather, and set a minimum week for any time away.
The summer bank holiday is Monday 30 August 2027, in race week, so keep that weekend light. If you are also running the Great North Run on 12 September, a week later, decide which race is your priority and plan your taper and recovery around it.
05 / SORT THE PRACTICAL BITS
Kit and race-weekend planning
UK-based runners have their Event Pack posted. If it has not arrived by Tuesday 31 August, the organiser asks you to fill in the Replacement Event Pack form and collect from Marathon House, 190 Great Dover Street, on Friday 3 or Saturday 4 September. Overseas runners collect from the same place. Use the kitbag provided for bag drop; bags are taken from the start to the finish.
Road closures are confirmed about five weeks before the event. The Big Half app is available about ten days before event day, and your Participant Guide is added to your account several weeks before. The organiser does not offer deferrals, transfers or refunds.
