btr Liverpool Half Marathon, Sunday 23rd March 2014
Thousands take to the streets…
Thousands take to the streets for the largest Half Marathon in Liverpool
On Sunday, btrLiverpool staged the largest Liverpool Half Marathon in the city since the race started 20 years ago enjoyed by local and international visitors.
The race was officially started by local-life long wirral runner Eddie Mountford who turns 90 year old next month. After a long and distinguished career as an amateur runner it was a fitting tribute to start the 2013 event.
Eddie said, “I love Liverpool and the atmosphere today is fantastic. I have participated in over 30 marathons and the crowds make it special and spur you on. The people who have turned out today for the half marathon will create great energy to support the runners. People from all over the world come to this city for events like this, and when they see it they take back with them their experience and thats what puts Liverpool on the map, its wonderful.”
The event attracted 8,400 entries with and increase of 800 from 2012 with the furthest travelled participants from Brazil, Canad and New Zealand, with most Eurpoean countries represented.
The largest contingent is from Ireland many celebrating St Patricks day in fancy dress.
Many charities once again took part to raise much needed funds including the Oliver King Foundation. Mark King Oliver’s dad commented, “Its events like this that help us in raising awareness for our campaign to introduce defibrillators into schools and public buildings across the region. We’d like to thank our runners for taking part and their fundraising efforts along with everyone who has supported us, its been a great day.”
As the sun broke the rain clouds it was Josh Lilly who claimed first place at 01:02:23 followed closely by Tomas Abyu in second and Bartosz Mazerski in third place. The first female was Linda Howell coming in at 01:22:29 and Rachael Tewkesbusy in 2nd and Margaret Sykes in third place.
A Liverpool marine Andy Grant who lost his leg after an explosion in Afghanistan took part in the race raising funds for Help The Heroes. Andy said, “Its been a humbling experience to have experienced so much support from runners and the crowds during the race. Im delighted to have achieved this personal challenge and made up that I had the opportunity to do it in Liverpool.” Andy has already raised £1,700 participating in the race and was supported by his partner and two children on the finish line. he further remarked, “it was amazing approaching the finish line, the day has been very memorable.”
Alan Rothwell BTR Race Director said: “Its great to see our events program grow and the half marathon has gone from strength to strength. We welcome new runners and its our aim this year to encourage more people to ‘get going,’ with the introduction of new events as well as to encourage more people to have a go at the more challenging races. The feedback from the runners today has been very positive and that the important part, that they enjoy it. Its been a great day.”
Race entries are already open for next year and more information on the website.
Early bird entries now open!
Entries have opened for the btr Liverpool Half Marathon 2014. You can take advantage of the early bird offers now via the online facility, by downloading and entry form and sending in to the event office or by calling in in person to the btr office, 23 Hatton Garden, Liverpool.
Race packs will be sent out approximately three weeks before the race date or as when received after that date, subject to entries still being taken. Please Note: We CANNOT take event entries over the phone.
Whats the cost?
Very Early Bird Registrations are from 19th March - 30th June 2013
Liverpool Half Marathon Very Early Bird Registration £28 / BTR Membership £25 / Affiliated UKA Member £26 / Affiliated and BTR Member £23
Early Bird Registrations are from 1st July - 30th September 2013
Liverpool Half Marathon Early Bird Registration £30 / BTR Membership £27 / Affiliated UKA Member £28 / Affiliated and BTR Member £25
Normal Entries are after 1st October - 21st February 2014 or before if race limit is reached
Liverpool Half Marathon Normal Registration £32 / BTR Membership £29 / Affiliated UKA Member £30 /Affiliated and BTR Member £27
On the day
The Liverpool Half Marathon always has a great atmosphere due to the fantastic amount of runners that take part year on year.
With a new start and finish this year right underneath the Liver Buildings it is going to be another top class day. With an earlier start of 9.00am this year you will need to be at the start area plenty of time to take in sense of occasion as novices, joggers and club runners all congregate on Canada Boulevard in readiness for the gun to go off, sending 8,000 endurance athletes on their way to the south end of the city.
The nearest train station is James Street just across the way from the start and the nearest car parks are the Capitol at New Quay, the Princes Dock alongside the Malmaison and of course the car park at Liverpool ONE. All are just a short walk from the start line.
There will be massage teams on hand once again kindly provided by Edge Hill University along with our own merchandising team and the Team BTR Member’s Marquee. Before you get to the finish however you will be taking on a great course which has delivered some impressive times over the last few years.
Apart from the incline at Upper Parliament Street there is little to fear from this course and with good weather on the day there’s a brilliant return along the promenade from the nine mile point.
The new finish will deliver a fantastic view along the waterfront and you will be able to see the famous Liver Buildings getting bigger as you near the finish line. - what better place to finish such a prestigious race than on a World Heritage Site. It doesn’t get much better.
Around the course
The course has evolved over the last four years or so and many participants have achieved really good times.
It is predominantly flat with an incline at just after the 1 mile point (Upper Parliament Street) and after that runners enjoy the natural beauty of Sefton Park. Due to the new start / finish the section inside Princes Park has been removed so that should help with event faster times. An old section along Croxteth Drive passing the cricket club and allotments has been re-introduced to ensure the accuracy of the course and with the event being UKA Licensed an accurate 13.1 mile is something we can guarantee. There are four water stations along the course at approximately 3, 6, 9 and 12 miles as well as the finish and toilets are located at Park Road (about half a mile), the six mile point on Mossley Hill Drive and in between Oterspool Park and Otterspool Promenade.
Click the map for a detailed view.
Getting to the start
The start and finish of the half marathon is at the Pier Head on the waterfront in front of the Liver Buildings.
By train
The nearest main line train station is Lime Street which is a 20 minute walk from the start area. The nearest local train train station is James Street on the Liverpool loop line. It is possible to get the loop line train from Lime Street to James Street which is a matter of yards from the start area.
By car
The waterfront roads are well signposted from any direction when approaching the city centre. Follow city centre signs or the brown Tourist signs for Albert Dock. From the north, the Liver Buildings can be found on the right hand side of the road just after the Radisson Blue Hotel at Leeds Street, Old Hall Street, Great Howard Street junction.
From the south follow the signs into the city and look out for Albert Dock, Liverpool Arena and Liverpool ONE shopping centre. The Liver Buildings will be on your left just after these locations.
From the east (M62 / Edge Lane) follow city centre signs all the way into the city itself and two main roads will take you to the Liver Buildings via London Road, Churchill way flyover, Dale Street and Water Street OR via Islington, Hunter Street, Scotland Road and Leeds Street to the Radisson Blue Hotel. The Liver Buildings is on your right hand side just after this location.
From Wirral / Kingsway Tunnel exit (Wallasey) on to Scotland toward the city centre and follow the right hand turn at the first main set of traffic lights (after exiting) on to Leeds Street. Follow this road on to the waterfront area just after the Radisson Blue Hotel which will be on your left hand side.
From Queensway Tunnel exit (Birkenhead) turn immediately left upon exiting the tunnel and follow Dale Street as far as Water Street past the Town Hall. Turn left here on to the one way system and move across to the right hand lane to undertake a natural u – turn where you will head north toward the designated car parks. For Liverpool ONE car park just follow the road having turned left and you will see the car park access point in the middle of the road straight ahead.
Nearest car parks – two locations within a short walk or highlighted on the half marathon section of this web site and Liverpool ONE Q Park is also just across the road from the start area.
Sat nav postcode for Liver Building Guidance is L2 0PP
Road closure information
Road closure information along the course will be posted when confirmed along with a suggestion of the anticipated times that roads will be closed.
Half Marathon Gallery
Browse the galleries of recent Liverpool Half Marathons.
How can we help?
We get asked a variety of questions about our events. If you cannot find the answer below, please email us and we'll respond as soon as possible.
Can I defer my entry or request a refund?
No. Once your entry is accepted (save for statutory rights for online payments) it is not possible to transfer entries, defer entries or arrange entry transfers.
How old do you need to be to enter?
17 years on race day.
Can I run for charity?
Yes you can. There is no obligation for you to do so as a condition of entry but you are welcome to fund raise if you wish.
Do I get a medal?
Yes. Everyone who completes the course on the day will receive a medal and a technical T shirt. There will NOT be Goody Bags at any ‘runliverpool’ events this year. Alternatively foodstuff will be selected and provided at the finish.
Is the course accurate?
Yes it will be. As the event will be staged under UKA Rules the course will have an official Course Certificate validating the accuracy of the course.
Is there a limit on entries?
There is a limit of 8,000 for the 2013 event and it is expected this number will be reached given the steady growth of the race in recent years. The limit has been increased by 1,000 from last year.
What is the closing date for entries?
The closing date for entries will be Friday, 15th February or before if the entry limit is reached.
Is there a cut off time to finish?
Normally there would be a time of 3 hours to complete the course but as the last four miles of off the public highway with runners returning along the promenade, it is not imposed. It should be noted however that the Marina access bridge at approximately 11.5 miles will be in operation from around midday to allow yacht craft out on the river. This may impede you if you have not crossed this location within 3 hours.
Road closures on the morning
Please note The event will operate a road opening plan whereby sections of road will be opened as soon as possible AFTER runners have passed through each location along the course up to Jericho Lane / Aigburth Road at 8.5 miles.
ROAD CLOSURES will affect the following locations...
Start / finish area is now on Canada Boulevard and runners will move off from this location at 9.00am to pass along Mann Island turning right on to Strand Street as far as Liver Street where they will turn left and then right on to Park Lane.
MILE 1 is on St. James Street at Norfolk Street.
Runners continue along St. James Street as far as the main junction at Upper Parliament Street where runners head toward Princes Road on the wrong side of the road (running against the direction of the traffic). Princes Avenue is unaffected.
MILE 2 is at the junction of Princes Road / North Hill Street.
Runners turn on to Devonshire Road at the end of Princes Road to move on to the correct side of the road before South Street. Vehicle access for residents along Devonshire Road will be via Devonshire Road West at the junction with Belvidere Road.
Runners continue along Devonshire Road and Belvidere Road to turn left on to Ullet Road using the Princes Park side of the road only.
MILE 3 is on Ullet Road at the junction with Alexandra Drive.
Continuing on as far as the junction of Ullet Road at Windermere Terrace and Aigburth Drive runners turn right on to Aigburth Drive.
The event will not be using Princes Park so access and egress for residents at Windermere Terrace will be unaffected. Access to Windermere Terrace will be from Ullet Road / Smithdown Road direction or via Sefton Park Road. It will not be possible to access Windermere Terrace from Ullet Road / Aigburth Road direction whilst the race is in progress.
At the roundabout at the top of Aigburth Drive runners will turn left on to Croxteth Drive heading toward the junction at Mossley Hill Drive where runners will stay on Croxteth Road running past the Cricket Club and Allotments on the park side of the road.
Access to the residential flats and St. Hildas School will be via Croxteth Drive roundabout until runners are Belvidere Road (approximately 9.15am) after which time it will not be possible to exit Sydenham House until the runners have passed this location at approximately 9.45am. As soon as runners have cleared this location it will possible to exit and return via Croxteth Drive toward Greenbank Drive only.
MILE 4 is on Croxteth Drive just after the Cricket Club.
At the end of Croxteth Drive runners pass along Greenbank Drive and then move into Sefton Park turning left past the Palm House and then right over the Iron Bridge.
MILE 5 is on Mossley Hill Drive just before the Field of Hope.
Continuing as far as the lake at the bottom of Sefton Park runners turn back into the park and pass along the park pathways.
MILE 6 is at the café in the middle of the park.
Exiting the park at the top end on Mossley Hill Drive runners turn left to follow Mossley Hill Drive on to Croxteth Drive (in the opposite direction) and then on to Aigburth Drive all the way around the park to the exit point by the car park toward the underpass at the junction of Aigburth Road and Jericho Lane.
RUNNERS WILL BE OCCUPYING BOTH SIDES OF CROXTETH DRIVE BETWEEN THE CAVES EXIT POINT AND AIGBURTH DRIVE FOR A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR BETWEEN 9.15AM AND 10.15AM.
Back markers will have passed the location at Sydenham House heading toward the Greenbank Drive by 9.45am.
Runners will be on the opposite side of the road at Sydenham House from approximately 9.35am.
MILE 7 is at Lark Lane on Aigburth Drive.
Runners pass through the underpass at the end of Jericho Lane to access Otterspool Park.
MILE 8 is just inside Otterspool Park and runners then head toward the promenade via Otterspool Drive at the end of Otterpool Park.
MILES 9, 10 and 11 are on the promenade as runners return toward the city centre.
MILE 12 is located at Coburg Wharf just before Kings Parade.
The last mile will see runners move off Kings Parade and pass along The Colonnades and across the bridge at Canning Half Tide Dock before passing on the river side of the Museum to finish back on Canada Boulevard.
Anticipated winning time 1 hour 5 minutes to arrive at 10.05am.
Back markers to complete the course in less than 3 hours finishing no later than midday.
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