It is the 43rd running of the GetPRO Bath Half by London Marathon Events in conjunction with Run 4 Wales on Sunday (15th March 2026), and it will be the 43rd consecutive time that Bath Half ever-present Danny Kay, 84, will line up alongside former Olympians and current internationals!

For the second year, the elite race has been chosen as the official British Athletics trial for the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen in September. The Bath Half weekend gets underway with the GetPRO Bath Miles presented by Bath College on Saturday, 14th March.

Over 12,000 runners are expected at Bath City’s largest sporting and community event, which falls on Mother’s Day this year. The elite will be followed by thousands of participants who will take on the two-lap course starting in Royal Victoria Park and finishing at Royal Avenue beside the historic Royal Crescent.

Danny Kay, from Trowbridge, will drop the flag to start the 43rd race, having completed all 42 previous editions. He said: “Running is good for the mind and the body and has been a constant in my life – the only thing that has changed is I have got slower! People know me now on my regular running route and it is a great way to have a chat as well. Starting the Bath Half is a real pleasure. I have countless memories of the day, and it is always one of my highlights of the year.”

Among the famous faces taking part will be 2004 Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Jason Gardener. A Bath local, Gardener will be running the event for the first time and, having turned 50 last year, says continuing to stay active is important:

“As a former Olympic sprinter, staying active has always been an important part of my life,” said Gardener, who is raising money for charity Time is Precious. “Like many people, there was a period where I wasn't as active as I would have liked while juggling family life and work. As I've got older, I've come to really value how important it is to maintain both physical and mental wellbeing.”

Heading the elite field on Sunday will be some of the UK’s fastest-ever athletes over the half-marathon distance, including the defending champions Jake Smith, who set a course record 62:20 as we reported last year, and Abbie Donnelly, plus Olympians Phil Sesemann, Jess Warner-Judd, and Alex Bell.

Results and previous reports are at the runABC South race listing here.

Image courtesy of the Bath Half Marathon website