They know a thing or two about putting on a great 13.1-mile race at Fleet. The volunteers at Fleet & Crookham AC have been presenting Fleet Half Marathon more or less continuously since 1982 – one year after the inaugural London Marathon. So, if you are looking for a great race to support and run on 24 March 2024, the Fleet Half ticks all the boxes. Or perhaps you are running a spring marathon – London, Manchester, Brighton, Southampton for example – Fleet Half could be the perfect warm-up.

If you are a regular runner and want a target to keep you focussed on your training through the winter – Fleet Half is the perfect event to aim for. If you are a club runner and want to support club-organised events and help keep them going – Fleet Half is the ideal race to enter. And if you have run it before and simply can't wait to come back – the Fleet Half Marathon team would love to see you…and bring your running friends, too.

Value for money is just one of the hallmarks of this popular event run by runners for runners. With fees of £29 (affiliated runners) and £31 (unattached), early entry is advised as entries close on Sunday 10 March 2024. This event is often a complete sell-out and there are no entries on the day.

Race Director Penny Abbott says: "Our team is working really hard to plan the day and bring you an event which you will enjoy, create memories, get great support on the route and with our pace makers you may even get that PB."

Nervous first-timers can also be reassured they are as welcome as elite athletes at the front. Michelle ran her first ever race of any sort at last year's Fleet Half and she posted this review: "My first ever organised run and it was so great to run supported by the enthusiastic and supportive spectators after those long, lonely practice runs! The event was very well organised and the route was easy to follow. Marshalls did a brilliant job. As a slower, not very experienced runner, I found the pacemakers really helpful as I would never have hit my target time without them. Loved the goody bag and medal. Thank you to all the people who must have worked so hard to organise this event."

Full details and answers to many FAQs are available at the Fleet Half Marathon website here.

If you are looking for training support and advice, why not check out the new public Fleet & Crookham AC Facebook page here – come for some trial training nights and you will be sure of a friendly welcome. You can also follow race information on Facebook here and X (formerly Twitter) here.

Results and previous news items at the runABC race listings here.

Image courtesy Fleet Half Marathon Race Director