With just over 100 days to race day, you'll need to enter soon to secure a place on the East Beach start line for the Southend Half Marathon on Sunday, 14th June 2026. This popular Essex coast race has been sold out for the past two years, and with this being the 30th-anniversary edition, interest in the event is expected to be even higher this year.

Organised by Havens Hospices, with race management support from Nice Work, the Southend Half Marathon has raised £1.6 million over 30 years, supporting the charity’s vital care services across Essex.

Last year's race saw 2,391 runners finish under five hours. The winners were David Smale (City of Southend AC, 1:09:10) and Charlotte Brooks (East Essex Tri Club, 1:20:26). The course records were set in 2011 by Paul Martelletti (Victoria Park Harriers, 1:07:56) and Samantha Amend (Belgrave Harriers, 1:20:10).

The coastal course is fast, flat and traffic-free, with superb views over the Thames Estuary. Pacers will guide runners to 1:45, 2:00, 2:15, and 2:30 targets, making it ideal for first-time half-marathon runners as well as more seasoned athletes looking to achieve a PB. In the last race, 112 were back at East Beach, Shoeburyness, within 90 minutes to be greeted by the cheering crowd.

Havens Hospices provide palliative nursing and supportive care to adults, young people, and children living with complex or incurable conditions across Essex. As the event website proclaims: "Every mile is helping us to continue ‘Making every day count’ for children and adults with incurable conditions in Essex".

Lucy Lock, community engagement manager at Havens Hospices, said: "Reaching our 30th race is a momentous occasion that speaks to the incredible support we've received from our community over the years. The Southend Half Marathon has become so much more than a race – it's a celebration of resilience, community spirit, and the difference we can make when we come together for a vital local cause, which means so much to so many people."

To find out more and to enter, visit the Havens Hospices Southend Half Marathon website here.

Past results and reports are at the runABC South race listing here.

Photo courtesy of the Nice Work Southend Half Marathon website