Cambridge Half Marathon

Now back in the UK after a year of travels, I decided to run the Cambridge Half Marathon on Sunday 3rd March 2024. This was my 3rd half marathon in the space of 5 months, having completed the Melbourne and Burj2Burj half marathons prior to this in October and January respectively. I'll take you through the race weekend in this blog, and highlight some of the reasons I enjoyed the Cambridge Half.

Overview & Logistics 🏨📫🧦

The Cambridge Half Marathon (CHM) takes places through the streets of Cambridge, as well as passing through the nearby towns of Grantchester and Trumpington. The base for this race is Midsummer Common, a large open green space in Cambridge where the race village was set up. This year, the CHM route also took us through 4 of Cambridge University's colleges - St John's, Trinity, Kings and Jesus, in that order.

Sign up for the CHM was done a few months ago, in August 2023 (6 ish months prior to the race). It is a popular half marathon, with around 10-15 thousand runners taking part, so the spaces do tend to fill up fast. A few weeks prior to race day, I was sent an email containing a race info pack which had all the details I needed to know regarding logistics - leaving nothing to the imagination. In that sense, planning how my weekend would look in Cambridge was made a lot easier. On the Friday and Saturday prior to the run, Midsummer Common race village was open for bib collection, and also to have a wander around the stalls for last bits of gear. Collecting your bib in advance meant that you had to worry about fewer logistics on the Sunday, which is exactly what you want to do!

Being based in London, I needed somewhere to stay the night, as I was not going to commute on the morning of the run. An option that we chose (and something I would also recommend you consider), was staying at one of the University Colleges - you can book a room for the night as if it were a hotel. We stayed at Churchill College, and found it to be very convenient, with all the necessary amenities provided. Breakfast was also included in the booking, but we didn't have a chance to try it out as we had too early of a start. Booking a room at a College may be better as they are centrally located as opposed to the hotels in Cambridge, have parking and a reasonably priced.

Do check the weather beforehand, March in the UK can either mean snow or sunshine! Luckily the weather was kind to us on that weekend, showing sunny intervals. That being said, it had rained the entire week beforehand, so Midsummer Common was a bit of a swamp in some places. It was still pretty cold too, hovering just above freezing - so do pack your race clothes and warm clothes appropriately. Spare shoes were essential to have post-race to keep my feet warm and dry.

Race Highlights 🏁

We drove up from London to Cambridge on the Saturday, and before I knew it the early start on Sunday had arrived. With a breakfast of porridge in my belly, we walked from Churchill College to Midsummer Common, a 15 minute journey which saved the hassle of using the car/bus. As we got closer to the race village, you could see more and more people clad in running gear heading in the same direction - eventually creating a single block of people making their way up a path to the Common.

Depending on your estimated finish time, the start time for the CHM were staggered. I was due to head to gate at 9:10am, crossing the start line at 9:38am to begin my run. Due to the volume of participants, holding pens were made to split up the traffic and manage the start line better. This method worked, although we did have a bit of a wait in the holding pens - something that was unavoidable but did mean your muscles cooled down a bit (not ideal). Soon enough, 9:38am came around and I was off!

The route choice by the CHM organisers was amazing. 3 miles in I reached the first of the colleges, St John's. There we were met with crowds of cheering spectators, whilst running through the College grounds. Trinity and King's College were reached soon after. This was the last I would see of Cambridge (for a while), as the route now took me after mile 5 out into the countryside, towards the town of Grantchester. Not knowing what to expect, I arrived in the town, and was greeted by even more public support for the runners - it was great. From handing out sweets, playing music to shouting words of encouragement, the support for this half marathon was insane. Mile 8 became a bit quiet following Grantchester, as we made our way to Trumpington.

Upon arrival at Trumpington, we received the same reception, giving all the runners that extra spurt of motivation. The country roads can feel unending and lonely when running in silence, so it was great to see some more friendly faces. Mile 10 came and went, and I found myself heading back into Cambridge. By this point it had reached mid-morning, meaning the then-sleeping town had woken up and found themselves packed along the race route to see what was going on. Finishing the last 3 miles through Cambridge, the crowd support was unreal - no more than a couple of metres from you there was someone cheering you on. The cobbled streets were rammed with people egging you on. Jesus College was the 4th and final college to be graced by runners - leaving a 300m sprint before I reached the finish line.

I was pretty fatigued at this stage, having gone out quite hard early on in the race. Yet the crowds gave me that final adrenaline rush that I needed, and I crossed the line in a time of 01:48:21.

Reflections 💭

I spent some time after finishing in Midsummers Common, waiting for my Dad and sister to also finish their races, as well as some friends. Soaking in the atmosphere is equally as important as running your race - it's what makes these days even more special! Despite the muddy conditions and cold weather on the Common, the sun was out, and you definitely get a feeling of accomplishment. The CHM was probably the best half marathon I've done in terms of crowd support, and I've realised that it can be such a help on the day.

I also managed to get some training in beforehand for this race - consisting of 2 runs a week, and 3 gym strength sessions. This helped me run my 3rd fastest half marathon, and made the process more comfortable than Burj2Burj in January (where I ran it on no training!). Legs did feel sore the day after, but nothing some refuelling, rest and yoga couldn't solve!

Lastly, thank you to everyone who came out to support and cheer us on, you really did make a difference and brought the event to life. Congratulations to all the participants too, whether it was your first or 10th half marathon, you all did great! Cambridge Half Marathon, completed it mate!

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