In just two days time, on Sunday 13th
March 2016, Bath will be filled with the sound of pounding feet and cheering
crowds as the race on Sunday this year will be Bath Half Marathon’s 35th
year. It promises to be a fantastic event!
Last year thousands of runners took to the
streets of Bath and raised thousands of pounds for all sorts of charities
including Cancer Research and Parkinson’s UK. This year there will be more
runners (last year there were nearly 13,000 and this year it will be 15,000),
another bigger Battle of the Bands (with nine bands stationed around the course
instead of seven), and many many more people cheering on those taking part and
generally enjoying the party atmosphere.
This year Dukes is proud to be the VIP and
Media Centre for the Bath Half Marathon, and we’ve been keeping a close eye on
the preparations for Sunday. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve seen the road
restriction signs going up all over the city, the notices warning residents not
to park on certain streets being put into place (though no matter how thorough
the signage is every year there are some cars that need moving on the day!),
and the excitement around the whole event mounting. Most recently we’ve been
watching with interest as the runner’s village in Bath Rugby Ground has been
going up; we’ve got a great view from our windows.
So since we’re getting really excited and
have been living and breathing Bath Half for the past couple of weeks we wanted
to share a few facts about this year’s race.
Who’ll be starting the race?
Sharon Davies MBE who won two Commonwealth
gold medals and an Olympic silver medal during her career as a professional
swimmer. She’ll be officially starting the runners off from Great Pulteney Street
at 11am. We’re very excited to meet her!
Records to break:
Last year Paul Martelletti won the Half in
an amazing time of 65 minutes and 28 seconds. We wonder if anyone will be able
to top that this Sunday!
Who to look out for?
Apart from looking out for any friends and
family who might be participating, you might also want to keep an eye out for
some famous faces among the runners. We won’t mention any names for this year
just yet, but last year Radio 1 DJ Greg James took part, as did Russell Howard
who ran in aid of the charity Time is Precious.
Charities this year:
There are quite a few to mention! Local as
well as national. The lead charity is Macmillan Cancer Support, and Bath Rugby
Foundation is the charity for the Family Fun Run. Other charities include the
Alzheimer’s Society, Guide Dogs, Send A Cow, Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, and AGE
UK Bath and North East Somerset. Although there are many others besides.
We wish everyone taking part the very best
of luck! See you at the finish line. (And in the case of some VIPs, when you
arrive to check in!)
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