With a route that has features like West Hill, Teg Down, Nan Trodds Hill, Yew Hill, St Catherine's Hill and Wharf Hill, you know what to expect at the Winchester Half Marathon – hills!

To be fair to this beautiful course, you don't run up or down all of those slopes, but the 841 feet of elevation provides some great views. The toughest climbs are soon after the start, and apart from the drag up to Olivers Battery just after halfway, the final four miles are downhill!

Winchester Half Marathon starts and finishes outside the Guildhall, right in the centre of the City of Winchester. As well as the natural beauty of the Hampshire countryside, city landmarks include Winchester Cathedral and the statue of King Alfred the Great.

This challenging event is promoted by Challenging Events Ltd, the South Coast's multisports organisers behind six major running events including the Romsey 5 Mile and Winchester 10K. Next event this year is the Winchester Half Marathon on Sunday, 21 September 2025, with up to 1,000 runners expected. Entries are still available from £43 (£33 without medal).

Last year's winner was M40 James Copeland (Southern Counties Veterans, 1:12:01) and the women's champion was W35 Natalie Lawrence (Egdon Heath Harriers, 1:25:30). Both were around three minutes outside their best times on flatter terrain. There were 765 finishers in 3:32:57, and 350 beat two hours.

The multi-storey car park, five minutes' walk from the start, is free on Sundays. If you bring the little runners, they can join the Winchester Kids Fun Run around the Cathedral grounds.

The Winchester Half Marathon charity partner for 2025 is Winchester Youth Counselling.

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

Photo courtesy of Challenging Events on Facebook