A big occasion should be memorable and that is certainly the case for the 40th anniversary of the Windsor Half Marathon on Sunday 29 September 2024. The special commemorative medal has been shielded from view until now...and it's shaped like a shield!

The heraldic-styled beauty portrays the view of Windsor Castle from The Long Walk – where the Windsor Half Marathon starts and finishes – plus the 1831 equestrian statue known as The Copper Horse, which depicts King George III on horseback and is positioned at the southern end of the 4.26K Long Walk, a tree-lined avenue that runs in a straight line from George IV Gateway at Windsor Castle.

The Long Walk is the first of several testing hills on the Windsor Half Marathon course but that doesn't stop some pretty quick times being achieved. This year's winners were Hugo Donavan (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow AC, 1:11:14) and Georgie Bruinvels (Aldershot, Farnham & District AC, 1:19:42) and there were 3,132 finishers under four hours.

Windsor Half Marathon has a sister event taking place the day before – Saturday 28 September 2024 – when a thousand or more females will assemble for the ever-popular Windsor Women's 10K. The defending champion from 2023 is W40 Laura Baylis (Datchet Dashers, 40:53) and 805 finished well inside two hours.

Early Bird entry for both events has been extended until 31 January 2024 with a 15% discount that means you could join the Windsor Half Marathon from £33 for club runners – saving £7 on the standard price – or save up to £6 on the Windsor Women's 10K, where just £22.50 could secure you a place on the dramatic start line in front of Windsor Castle next year.

For challenging, scenic courses; iconic historic sites; a touch of Royal spirit; and a hugely supportive, community atmosphere, the Windsor Half Marathon and Windsor Women's 10K are hard to beat.

Visit the Windsor Half Marathon website here and Windsor Women's 10K here for full details.

Previous results and reports are available at the runABC South race listing here (Women's 10K) and here (Half Marathon).

Photos of Windsor Half medal and Windsor Half finishers courtesy Joanne Tranter