Oxford Half Marathon 2027
Sunday, 10 October 2027 · Oxford, United Kingdom
On this page
The weekend at a glance
- Date
- Sunday 10 October 2027
- Start
- Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ. Pens A to G go between 9:30 and 10:15
- Finish
- Mansfield Road
- Event village
- University Parks, OX1 3RF. Bag drop, toilets, warm-up and help desk
- Your number
- Posted, or collected on Saturday 10 October from 10:00 to 17:00 in the event village
- Getting there
- No parking at the event site or in the city centre. Be in the city centre before 7:30
- Time limit
- 3.5 hours. The route cut-off is 13:45
- Bag drop
- 7:30 to 14:30 in the event village, or arrive Race Ready with no bag
- Water
- Stations at miles 3.8, 7.7, 10.1 and 11.4. Gels only at mile 6.5
- Climb
- No figure published
- Weather
- The last five race mornings ran from 5.2 °C to 12.6 °C at 9:00
- Entering
- The organiser has not said yet when 2027 entries open. 2026 sold out
The Oxford Half Marathon is a closed-road race through central Oxford. It starts and finishes on Mansfield Road, goes past the city's landmarks and up to Summertown, and comes back through University Parks. The organiser says it has run since 2011 and calls the route fast and flat.
The next race is on Sunday 10 October 2027. The 2026 race was run on Sunday 11 October, sold out, on the same route as 2025. The details below are the 2026 edition's until the 2027 pages go up.
The event village is in University Parks, but the start pens are on Parks Road, about a five-minute walk away. Arriving at the village still leaves a walk before your wave.
Planning the trip? See how In the Running helps make it easier.
Getting to Oxford 2026 details
There is no parking at the event site or in the city centre, and the organiser asks runners to be in the city centre before 7:30. These are the organiser's options.
City park and ride. Book through the RingGo app at Redbridge or Pear Tree (booking opened on 1 October) or Thornhill (from 8 October). These sites are open to the public and get very busy, and pre-booking does not guarantee a space. The first shuttle into the city is at 7:00. The organiser's own event park and ride at Unipart House is sold out.
Bus. Local buses run normal Sunday services, with diversions and longer journeys because of the road closures.
Oxford Tube from London. The coach runs from London Victoria to Oxford Gloucester Green, about 15 minutes' walk from the event village. Services leave roughly hourly through the night and morning, with the first around 3:15 and regular services from 6:10. The 6:10 arrives at 7:51, after the organiser's 7:30 advice, and is likely to be busy. A ticket does not guarantee a seat on a full coach, so arrive early and board at Victoria.
Train from Didcot Parkway. A shuttle train runs from Didcot Parkway to Oxford station on race morning, taking 20 minutes. The trains that get you to the start are at 6:34, 7:10 and 7:46. If you are in an early wave, take an early train. Tickets are through Great Western Railway.
Other trains. The earliest London train into Oxford does not arrive in time to start. From London the organiser strongly recommends the Oxford Tube or arriving on Saturday 10 October.
Where to stay in Oxford
The event village in University Parks is in the centre of the city, and the organiser's own advice for anyone coming from London is to arrive the day before. A room in central Oxford within walking distance of University Parks avoids the park and ride queues and the road closures. Gloucester Green, where the Oxford Tube arrives, is about 15 minutes' walk from the village.
Check the organiser's road closures page before you plan a taxi, because roads along the route are closed on race morning.
Collecting your number 2026 details
Your number is either posted or collected in the event village in University Parks on Saturday 10 October, from 10:00 to 17:00. Bring photo ID (a photo of your ID is fine) and the QR code emailed in race week. Someone can collect for you if they bring your ID and QR code.
If you chose postage and your pack has not arrived by Friday 9 October, collect a replacement from the event village on Saturday. A replacement needs photo ID only, with no QR code. The organiser's guide gives no Sunday collection.
Your number carries a letter for your start pen and two tear-off tags. The bottom tag is the baggage label and the top one is your reclaim tag. Bring your own safety pins.
Race morning 2026 details
The event village opens at 7:30. Warm-ups run in the village every 15 minutes until 8:45. The pens fill between 8:45 and 9:15 and the race starts at 9:30. The final runner crosses the start line at 10:15, and the first finisher is expected at 10:35.
Arrive in the window for your pen to reduce queues at bag drop.
| Pen | Arrive at the event village | Move to your pen | Estimated start |
|---|---|---|---|
| A to C | 8:00 to 8:20 | 8:45 to 9:05 | 9:30 to 9:45 |
| D to E | 8:15 to 8:35 | 9:00 to 9:20 | 9:45 to 10:00 |
| F to G | 8:30 to 8:50 | 9:15 to 9:35 | 10:00 to 10:15 |
The pens are on Parks Road. From the village, pens A to C head towards the toilets, which lead round to the pens. Pens D to G head towards Keble Gate. Your pen cannot be changed. You may move back to a later pen with a friend but not forward. If you are in A to C and arrive too late, you are sent to D to G.
The organiser asks runners to arrive Race Ready, with no bag and straight to the start line, to ease congestion at bag drop. If you use bag drop, attach the bottom tag from your number to your bag. Bag drop opens at 7:30 and closes at 14:30, and you hand over the top tag to collect your bag.
The time limit is 3.5 hours, and the route cut-off is 13:45. Anyone predicted to finish after 13:45 may be asked to move to the pavement. A sweep team supports them, and they still receive their medal and t-shirt.
The course 2026 details
The 2026 route is the same as 2025. It starts and finishes on Mansfield Road, passes Oxford's best-known landmarks, climbs up to Summertown and loops back through University Parks. The organiser calls it fast and flat and gives no climb figure.
Aid stations are at mile 3.8, 7.7, 10.1 and 11.4 with water cups and refill. The mile 6.5 station has OTE energy gels instead of water, so plan a drink around it if you take a gel there. Mile markers are on the route, with smaller markers every 5 km. There are live bands, DJs and local performers along the route.
Pacers carry a flag showing their finish time. They run every five minutes from 1:30 to 2:30, then at 2:40 and 2:45 and over.
Weather in Oxford in October
These are the last five completed race days at the Mansfield Road start in Oxford, at 9:00 and at 13:00. The race has run in the middle of October, between the 12th and the 17th, in these years. They are model estimates for the start area, not readings from a weather station.
| Race day | 9:00 | 13:00 | Wind at 9:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October 2021 | 12.6 °C | 14.0 °C | 13 km/h |
| 16 October 2022 | 10.1 °C | 15.1 °C | 12 km/h |
| 15 October 2023 | 5.2 °C | 9.6 °C | 13 km/h |
| 13 October 2024 | 5.8 °C | 9.5 °C | 12 km/h |
| 12 October 2025 | 6.9 °C | 13.1 °C | 5 km/h |
The 2021 morning was the warmest at 12.6 °C. The 2023 morning was the coolest at 5.2 °C.
Afterwards 2026 details
After the finish, keep moving so others can come through. Medical staff are on hand. If you opted in for a finisher's t-shirt you get it with your medal.
Collect your bag as soon as you finish, with your reclaim tag ready. Bag drop and the help desk close at 14:30, and the help desk holds lost property for a month. Stay in the village for food vendors and exhibitors.
If you travel home by train from London or Didcot, work out the walk back to the station from University Parks before you set off.
Other race weekends
Close by, and with guides of their own, are TCS London Marathon and Cheltenham Half Marathon.
The next races with a guide
Sources
| 2027 date, the 2026 race run, running since 2011 | Oxford Half Marathon, organiser, checked 12 October 2026 |
| Schedule, start and finish, pens, number collection, Race Ready, travel summary, aid stations, route, pacers, cut-off, bag drop | The Oxford Half, Race Day Guide 2026, organiser, checked 5 October 2026 |
| No parking, park and ride, Oxford Tube, Didcot Parkway shuttle trains, London trains | Travel Information 2026, organiser, checked 5 October 2026 |
| 2021 race date, Sunday 17 October | Runners return to the historic Oxford Half Marathon, RunABC, 20 October 2021 |
| 2022 race date, 16 October | Oxford Half Marathon 2022, Oxfordshire Mind, a charity partner |
| 2023 race date, Sunday 15 October | Results and images from sold-out Oxford Half Marathon, Running Industry Alliance, a news report |
| 2024 race date, Sunday 13 October | Over 13,000 runners take part in Oxford Half, Running Industry Alliance, a news report |
| 2025 race date, Sunday 12 October | Biggest ever Oxford Half takes over city, UK Run Chat, a news report |
| Race-day weather | Open-Meteo historical weather, at Mansfield Road in Oxford, a 9 km grid for ERA5-Land temperatures; ERA5 wind on about a 25 km grid |
Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 12 October 2026.
If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.