The Destination Basingstoke Phillips Law Half Marathon returns on Sunday 4 October 2026, and anyone lining up at 10:00am should arrive prepared for a race where managing the hills could make all the difference.

Starting and finishing beside Crossborough Park and War Memorial Park, the Half Marathon soon heads away from Basingstoke onto closed minor roads through the Hampshire countryside. Cliddesden comes first before the route reaches Ellisfield around mile four. A gentle downhill along College Lane towards mile six offers an opportunity to settle before the climbing resumes.

The course's most famous test arrives between miles eight and nine. The Big Dipper, properly known as Bedlam Bottom, drops around 100 feet before almost immediately asking runners to climb it all back again. Get through that section sensibly and the character of the race changes, with the organisers describing the route from mile nine as more or less downhill towards Basingstoke.

There is a four hour cut off for the Half Marathon, with runners required to reach mile eight within two hours, and three water stations are positioned around the course. Official pacers will also be on hand for runners targeting particular finishing times.

Race day now includes a 10K and 5K alongside the Half Marathon, plus a free one mile children's race for ages five to ten. More than 1,700 runners took part across the event in 2025, and the Race Village will again form the centre of the action.

Basingstoke has never pretended to be the flattest Half Marathon around. The hills are part of its personality, and conquering the Big Dipper is part of the reward.

Entries for this year's race are still available via the runABC race hub.

Image courtesy Destination Basingstoke on Facebook.