Motiv Sports: Over 13,000 runners take part in Oxford Half
2024’s event sold out in record time with 13,000 runners involved
Over 500 children from local schools complete half marathon challenge
The first female finisher was Harriet Freeman, with Mark Pearce the fastest male.
Oxford, UK | The streets of Oxford were alive with 13,000 runners and thousands of spectators coming together for the iconic annual race, which took place on Sunday 13 October.
This year’s Oxford Half sold out in record time, with the general entry places all being secured by May, earlier this year. Charity places also saw huge demand, with all official charity partner places filled as participants looked to fundraise for great causes.
The route weaved through the city, taking in the famous architecture in the city, while the Event Village took over University Parks. Live entertainment was available in the park and on-route to help runners get through the 13.1 mile run and chase their personal best.
The route began in the city centre, passing the sites of Old Marston village, the River Cherwell, Oxford University’s Lady Margaret Hall, before finishing on Parks Road.
This year’s half marathon also included a field of elite runners, leading the charge through Oxford’s iconic streets, including a range of athletes that have competed on the international stage.
First Three Finishers – Female
1st – Harriet Freeman – 01:14:35
2nd – Alex Eykelbosch – 01:15:11
3rd – Grace Baker – 01:17:57
Top Three Finishers – Male
1st – Mark Pearce – 01:05:18
2nd – Hugo Fry – 01:07:18
3rd – Chris Davies – 01:07:21
Top Three Finishers – Non-binary
1st – Rattee Hensirisakul – 01:49:32
2nd – Ben Seymour – 01:49:46
3rd – Robert McDougall – 02:00:32
The full results are available on the event website: https://www.oxfordhalf.com/
The Oxford Schools’ Challenge also took place on the same day, designed to encourage local children to get involved and active in the weeks leading up to the event, completing incremental runs up to a 12-mile target. Schoolchildren ran the final 1.1 miles together to complete their own half marathon, crossing the same finish line as the adult runners.
Over £950,000 has already been raised by runners through the events’ official charity partners. National charities included Cancer Research UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan Cancer Support and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.
Local charities were also partnered with the event, including SSNAP, Special Effect, Helen & Douglas House, Oxfordshire Mind, Restore, Sobell House, Oxford Food Hub, Thames Valley Air Ambulance, Oxford Hospitals Charity and Yellow Submarine, some of which had teams of runners representing them along the route.
Ian Allerton, Operations Director at Motiv Sports, said: “Today we saw once again why this is one of the most popular half marathons in the UK. The support was excellent, it is always great to see such an iconic city come together to celebrate our runners.
“Thanks as always to our volunteers, charities and every single person involved in raising money. Congratulations finally to our runners who are the heart of our events, it was a brilliant effort from everyone, and we can’t wait to do it again next year.”
To secure the lowest possible price for the 2025 Oxford Half marathon, which is expected to be another sell-out, visit: https://www.oxfordhalf.com/
Photo credit: Motiv Sports
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