More than 12,000 get set for celebration of running and community at the 2026 GetPRO Bath Half 

At the head of the thousands of participants taking part in Bath’s largest sporting and community event will be some of the best British distance runners as, for the second year in a row, the GetPRO Bath Half has been named the British Athletics trial race for the World Athletics Road Running Championships Half Marathon. 

They will be followed by thousands of mass participants who will take on the two-lap course starting in Royal Victoria Park and finishing at Royal Avenue beside the historic Royal Crescent. 

This year’s GetPRO Bath Half falls on Mother’s Day (Sunday 15 March) and the event offers a chance for people to celebrate the mums and caregivers in their lives. There will be a message wall in Royal Victoria Park throughout the weekend for people to leave their own tribute to a loved one (whether they are taking part of not) and finishers will be able to get a special picture of themselves with GetPRO Finisher polaroids. A full list of family-friendly activities is available on the website. 

The event is also a celebration of the power of running and its universal appeal and benefits to people of all ages. Few people demonstrate this more than 84-year-old Danny Kay, who has been named the official race starter, and 77-year-old David Saunders, who have combined to complete the Bath Half an incredible 82 times since the first edition in 1982 – and are still going strong. 

Danny and David are bucking a trend picked up in a 2025 survey by Age UK that found that 74 per cent of adults aged 50-65 worry about staying healthy as they age. The pair said that staying active in their middle age was important in keeping their mental health in check. 

Danny, from Trowbridge, will drop the flag on the 43rd edition of the event in 2026, having completed all 42 previous editions. 

He said: “Running is good for the mind and the body and has been a constant in my life – the only thing that has changed is I have got slower! People know me now on the route and it is a great way to have a chat as well. Starting the Bath Half is a real pleasure. I have countless memories of the day, and it is always one of my highlights of the year.” 

David, 77, formerly of Frome, in Somerset, and now living in Cambridgeshire, added:  

“Apart from the physical benefits, I firmly believe that running helps maintain my mental wellbeing and will hopefully stave off dementia for many years to come!" 

One famous face taking part will be 2004 Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Jason Gardener. A Bath local, Gardener will be running the event for the first time and, having turned 50 last year, says continuing to stay active is important.  

“As a former Olympic sprinter, staying active has always been an important part of my life,” said Gardener, who is raising money for charity Time is Precious. “Like many people, there was a period where I wasn't as active as I would have liked while juggling family life and work. As I've got older, I've come to really value how important it is to maintain both physical and mental wellbeing.” 

Joanna Wales, Event Lead for organisers London Marathon Events, said: “The GetPRO Bath Half is one the UK’s best-loved half marathons, which inspires activity among people of all ages and abilities, from our official starter Danny who is a testament to the benefits of exercise right through to the elite athletes who are coming to Bath to secure places in the Great Britain team for the World Athletics Road Running Championships. It’s going to be a fantastic weekend of celebration, so if you are not running come out, cheer on the participants and enjoy this wonderful festival of running and community.” 

Heading the field on Sunday will be some of the UK’s fastest-ever athletes over the half marathon distance who are competing in the official British Athletics trial race for the World Athletics Road Running Championships half marathon which takes place in Copenhagen in September. 

These star athletes include defending champions Jake Smith – who set a course record 62:20 last year – and Abbie Donnelly, plus Olympians Phil Sesemann, Jess Warner-Judd and Alex Bell. Read more about the elite fields on the website. 

The GetPRO Bath Half is the culmination of a weekend that begins on Saturday 14 March with the GetPRO Bath Miles, a family-friendly, free event that offers people of all ages the chance to run, walk, jog or wheel around a one-mile loop of Royal Victoria Park. The sold-out event includes waves with The Daily Mile, junior parkrun, the Scouts and Bath FitFam. Families will also be running to mark Mother’s Day in one of several Family Waves that will see hundreds of people get active. 

There will be activities on offer throughout the weekend on Middle Common in the park, including face painting, circus workshops, massage provided by Bath College, and finisher polaroids from GetPRO. The Event Village opening hours are 9:30-15:00 on Saturday and 8:00-17:00 on Sunday.  

The 2026 GetPRO Bath Half starts at 10:30 on Sunday. The route starts from Royal Victoria Park and includes two laps of the city, tracing the River Avon, Great Pulteney Street, Royal Avenue and the historic Royal Crescent. 

The double-lap course means spectators can secure a position on the route and see participants go by twice. The elite athletes will be finishing from 11:30 with the masses then following until roughly 15:30. 

You can view the complete Bath Half route on the event website where you can also find full information on road closures in the city on Sunday. 

The GetPRO Bath Miles presented by Bath College will run from 11:00 on Saturday (14 March). 

The 2025 GetPRO Bath Half is being organised by London Marathon Events in conjunction with Run 4 Wales.