Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?

Running · Half Marathons

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon 2027

Race day
Sunday, 2 May 2027
Location
Birmingham, UK
Distance
13.1 mi / 21.1 km

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon: 2 May 2027. Entry, the Cannon Hill Park and Edgbaston route, charity.

234Days

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Race Timeline

Training Phase Build Phase Taper Race Week Race Day Race Completed

234 days to go

More than 56 days out — a good window to build a consistent base before half-marathon-specific training ramps up.

Generated mark — no elevation published for this course

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon 2027: quick answers

When is Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon 2027?

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon 2027 takes place on Sunday, 2 May 2027, starting at 8:30am (waves).

What time does Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon start?

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon starts at 8:30am (waves) from Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham.

Where does Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon start and finish?

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon starts at Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham and finishes at Jennens Road, Aston University event village, Birmingham.

How many miles is Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon?

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon is 13.1 miles (21.1km).

How much does Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon cost to enter?

Entry is direct via the official site — no ballot. Half Marathon entry was tiered from £45 (Saver) up to £51 (Final) as of Aug 2026; always confirm current pricing, as it rises as places sell out.

How can I track a runner at Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon?

Live tracking via the official Great Run app (RTRT.me platform).

Key Race Metrics & Overview

Date
Sunday, 2 May 2027
Distance
13.1 miles / 21.1km
Location
Birmingham, UK
Start Point
Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham
Finish Point
Jennens Road, Aston University event village, Birmingham
Start time
8:30am (waves)
Surface
Closed public roads, tarmac
Cut-off time
No fixed cut-off time is published — a sweep vehicle travels at a 17-minute-per-mile pace under the wider Great Run Series policy, and runners who fall behind it are moved onto the pavement.
Age requirement
Runners must be 17 or over on event day.
Tracking app
Live tracking via the official Great Run app (RTRT.me platform).

Direct Entry Summary

Entry is direct via the official site — no ballot. Half Marathon entry was tiered from £45 (Saver) up to £51 (Final) as of Aug 2026; always confirm current pricing, as it rises as places sell out.

Ballot Policy

No ballot — entry is first come, first served, with tiered pricing that rises as places sell out.

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Race Day Weather

A real forecast appears here once one exists for race day — usually about a week to ten days out. Nothing is shown until then, because a made-up forecast is worse than none.

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Route Map & Elevation Profile

Starting at Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham and finishing at Jennens Road, Aston University event village, Birmingham. Total elevation gain is not published for this event, and Verus does not estimate one.

Is Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon flat?

Described as a little mixed, with inclines and declines through the first eight miles and net downhill running from mile 8 to the finish. No official elevation figure is published.

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Course Profile

Elevation change not published for this event.

Startmi 6.513.1mi

Tap a point on the course for details.

mi 0.0

Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham

Start line.

mi 6

Cannon Hill Park & Edgbaston Stadium

The half marathon's southern loop, distinct from the 10K route.

mi 8

Selly Park

The route turns back towards the city centre here, with net downhill running for the remainder of the race.

Where Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon starts and finishes

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon starts at Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham and finishes at Jennens Road, Aston University event village, Birmingham. We haven't been able to place those on a map accurately enough to show one — a pin in the wrong place is worse than no pin.

These are the start and finish points, not the route. Verus doesn't hold course files for this race, and drawing a line between two pins would be a guess you might end up training on. The official course map is the one to use: view it on the organiser's site .

Full Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Route Breakdown

Shares its Centenary Square start with the 10K before looping south through Cannon Hill Park, Selly Park and past Edgbaston Stadium, then rejoining the 10K route past the Mailbox and Grand Central to finish at Aston University on Jennens Road.

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Pace Calculator & Splits

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Pace Calculator

Enter a target finish time to see your pace and projected splits.

hrs
min
sec
target time

Average pace / mile

18:19

Average pace / km

11:23

5K56:55
10K1:53:50
Finish4:00:00

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Pace Chart

Split markers calculated for standard checkpoints — no official pacers are confirmed for this event.

Target Pace /mi Pace /km 5K10KFinish
3:00 13:44 8:32 42:411:25:233:00:00
3:15 14:53 9:15 46:151:32:303:15:00
3:30 16:02 9:58 49:481:39:373:30:00
3:45 17:11 10:40 53:221:46:433:45:00
4:00 18:19 11:23 56:551:53:504:00:00
4:15 19:28 12:06 1:00:292:00:574:15:00
4:30 20:37 12:48 1:04:022:08:044:30:00
4:45 21:45 13:31 1:07:362:15:114:45:00
5:00 22:54 14:14 1:11:092:22:185:00:00
5:30 25:11 15:39 1:18:162:36:325:30:00
6:00 27:29 17:05 1:25:232:50:466:00:00
6:30 29:46 18:30 1:32:303:04:596:30:00
7:00 32:04 19:55 1:39:373:19:137:00:00

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Finish Time Estimator

Enter a recent 5K, 10K or Half Marathon time to estimate your Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon finish time.

Your 5K time

hrs
min
sec

Estimated Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon finish

1:54:55

An estimate only, based on Pete Riegel's race-time prediction formula. Real marathon performance depends on endurance, training specificity, pacing and race-day conditions — not just your speed over a shorter distance.

Training for a different distance? Try the full pace calculator, race time predictor or pace chart.

Got your target time? Save it to your profile.

Tag Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon, set your goal pace, and let Verus track your countdown, training and fundraising in one place.

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Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Race Day Checklist

Tap items to mark off your race-day readiness.

0/6
  • Race number attached, and any timing chip fitted per your race pack instructions
  • A bag for the baggage bus near the start — labelled with your race number
  • Weather-appropriate kit, plus something warm and disposable to discard before the start
  • Your own gels/fuel, since on-course gel-brand details weren't published at the time of writing
  • Confirmation of your start wave, based on your estimated finish time
  • A meeting point agreed with family/friends near the Aston University finish for after the race

Training Strategy for Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon

Standard Training Window

10-14 weeks is a solid window for a first half marathon; 8-10 weeks is enough if you're already maintaining a baseline mileage. Build your long run up gradually rather than jumping straight to race distance.

Terrain Specificity

This is a largely flat course, so most of your long runs can mirror that — flat and steady, building time on feet rather than hill strength.

The Taper Phase

Reduce overall mileage across the final 7-10 days while preserving short race-pace bursts. Arrive at Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham fresh, energized, and primed — not fit, fresh.

Pacing Execution

Lock in your target pace using the interactive splits calculator below — no official pacers are confirmed for this event, so a pace band on your watch is the more reliable option.

Fuel & Hydration Prep

Test your race-day fuel and hydration plan on your long training runs, not for the first time on race day — check the Race Day Checklist below for what's actually on this course.

How many weeks do you actually need to train for a Half Marathon?

Half Marathon Nutrition & Fueling Plan

2-3 Days Prior

A modest increase in carbohydrate intake over the 2-3 days before the race — not one huge pasta dinner the night before — is the practical approach to topping up glycogen stores for a half marathon.

Race Morning

Eat a carb-focused breakfast 2-3 hours before your wave start, and stick to something you've already tested in training.

On-Course Fueling

On-course gel-brand details weren't published at the time of writing — carry your own fuel if you prefer to use one.

Post-Race Recovery

An hour or so is the rough window for carbohydrate and protein to do the most for recovery — Birmingham city centre has no shortage of options near the finish.

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Charity Places 2027

Charity places are available through the event's official charity, Alzheimer's Society, and other partner charities. There's no single universal minimum — each sets its own fee and fundraising target, as in the example below.

Charity Partner Entry Fee Minimum Target
Alzheimer's Society £19 £150
Impactful Storytelling

Lead with your personal story — explain why the charity matters to you. Personal connection generates 3x more support than a generic link broadcast.

Social Campaign Milestones

Share key training milestones on Instagram (first 10-miler, peak week, race week) with your fundraising link in bio. Publicly thanking donors prompts secondary gifts!

Running Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon for charity?

Link your JustGiving page to Verus and show up right here alongside other Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon fundraisers — goal, progress and story, all in one place.

Add Your Fundraiser to Verus

Where to Stay for Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon

Birmingham city centre

Pros

Closest to both the start on Centenary Square and the finish at Aston University, with the most hotel choice.

Cons

Can be busy on race weekend given the size of the event.

Edgbaston

Pros

On the half marathon's southern loop, with a quieter residential character.

Cons

Not walking distance to the finish at Aston University.

Travel & Logistics

By Train

Birmingham's central stations (New Street, Moor Street, Snow Hill) serve the city centre. West Midlands Metro is the official transport partner, running extra trams on race day.

Park & Ride Shuttles

Free Park & Ride is available via West Midlands Metro on race day — check the official site for current sites.

Road closures

Rolling road closures are in place from around 4am, reopening by 5pm.

Spectator & Cheer Guide

Cheer Zones & Hotspots

The route passes Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston Stadium, the Mailbox and Grand Central — specific mile-marker recommendations weren't published at the time of writing.

Course Navigation

The West Midlands Metro makes it realistic to reposition between viewing points during the race.

Live App Tracking

Live tracking via the official Great Run app (RTRT.me platform).

Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know for race weekend.

Race details independently compiled and fact-checked by Tommo against the official Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon site , last verified August 2026. Always confirm official timings and policies directly prior to race day.