The Port For Good Sports
Who will be winners of the decade on Southampton's anniversary?
Can you believe next year marks the 10th anniversary of the Southampton Marathon? Declaring a 'Decade of PBs', organisers ReesLeisure are challenging entrants for the special edition to become the 'Winner of the Decade' on Sunday 6 April 2025.
The past 10 years have seen over £4 million raised for charities; over £90,000 invested into local communities by title sponsors ABP Southampton and countless personal bests set by thousands of runners in the various events that comprise ABP Southampton Marathon.
Targets for the elite to consider are the best marathon times to date held by Chris McGurk (2:30:17) in 2022 and Melissa Gibson (2:54:16) in 2021. At half marathon, the times to beat are 1:11:12 by Matthew Revier in the 2016 race and 1:20:10 by Simone Dailey in 2017.
Shorter distance races have been included since the inception of the ABP Southampton Marathon and the best 10K exponents are Joe Wade (32:02) in 2023 and Anna Whitfield (38:04) in the inaugural 2016 event. A 5K race was added in 2022 and the fastest times so far are 17:03 by Jonnie Findell in 2023 and 18:47 by Hannah Maher last year.
The defending ABP Southampton Marathon champions are Joe Beaton (Tavistock RC, 2:33:41) and Hannah Traylen (3:08:01) from 873 finishers in nearly seven hours. Richard Waldron (Southampton AC, 1:14:33) and Lucy Short (1:29:59) led the 2,128 finishers in just over four hours in the half marathon.
The flagship ABP Southampton Marathon enjoys a scenic two-lap course from Southampton's Guildhall Square. The route features St Mary's Football Stadium, riverside and dockland views, and spectacular Itchen Bridge and Northam Bridge crossings.
Racing starts with the longest two races off at 09:00am, followed by the 10K and 5K at 10:00am, and concludes with a Mile Fun Run at 3:30pm. Early Bird Entry prices are still available but won't be around for much longer as canny competitors are snapping up places.
For full details visit the ABP Southampton Marathon website here.
Previous results and reports are at the runABC South race listing here.
Image courtesy ReesLeisure/ABP Southampton Marathon on Facebook
