EalingBeActive talks to Sandra Courtney, Event Director of our Award Winning local institution, the Ealing Half Marathon.
The Ealing Half Marathon is known as the UK’s Number One Half Marathon, hosting 7,000+ runners.
It is one of Ealing’s best known and best loved events in the local (and beyond!) sporting and community calendars, with this year’s event taking place in Lammas Park on Sunday 24 September.
I went to catch up with Sandra Courtney, Event Director for the Ealing Half Marathon to hear all about the ‘behind the scenes’ activity leading up to the Big Day.
Hi Sandra
Tell us about your role for the Ealing Half Marathon team?
I’m lucky enough to have a dream job where my hobby became my work. I started as a volunteer then became the event co-ordinator working on the event full time, and over the past 5 years, I’ve worked my way up to Director of this great event. It’s an extremely varied role. As we are a very small team we need to be very versatile, as no two days are the same. One day I could be in London talking to possible sponsors or emergency service teams, the next I could be donning a pair of gloves.
Do you enjoy keeping fit?
I don’t have as much time as I used to, but I still love running and try to get out as much as I can. I also enjoy cycling and swimming to mix it up.
You must be super-busy with organising the Ealing Half and all that goes with it. What’s your Top Tip for fitting exercise into a busy day?
Get up early!! There is always time to do a few minutes exercise — you can even build it into your commute
Where is your favourite local place to relax when you have some downtime?
I love spending time by the river — if I’m not using it as an exercise route, I’ll normally pop to a local pub.
Now down to the Nitty Gritty of the Ealing Half
Tell us something interesting about the Ealing Half Marathon
The route takes you through so many different areas of Ealing, from Montpelier to Pitshanger, St Stephen’s to Hanwell and back to beautiful Lammas Park, where the start and finish are. We have an estimated 30,000 people out cheering our runners, so you feel like a superstar on the day and get the real #EalingFeeling!
Nice link to the next question. What does your hashtag #EalingFeeling stand for?
This is such a good strapline for our event and was created naturally many years ago when we first started. For me, it’s the community and volunteers that demonstrate what this stands for. The whole of West London comes together to create this fantastic feeling.
What is the age range of the entries so far?
It’s such an inclusive event and this year we have all ages from 17 (the youngest you can be to run) all the way up to 77 at the moment.
The team won the ‘Best Half Marathon’ at the ‘Running Awards’ for three years in a row. To what do you attribute its success?
The community and volunteers, without a doubt. We are a small team all year round but have approx. 700 people helping us on the day. We work hard to make the event the best it can be for runners and we couldn’t do that without the support of hundreds of people around the course. You really get the feeling you are part of something big as you run around it.
The whole event must involve a lot of preparation. Tell us about your average working day.
This one is almost impossible to answer. No two days are the same. If you think of what it takes to run a company — sales, marketing, admin, IT, accounts — all the normal day to day things; myself and my colleague do all of these. Then, add in the logistics of closing 13.1 miles of roads, dealing with TFL, emergency services, creating a full and complete Event Management Plan, recruiting 700 volunteers, making sure all the suppliers are in place, making sure all sponsors are dealt with, enough barriers are ordered, marquees are built, medals are ordered, 500+ signs are put out on the route (we do all these ourselves), plus preparing all the information for each of these elements. And of course, there is always a new curve ball thrown to keep us on our toes.
What do you get up to outside of the actual half marathon preparations? What does the off-peak job look like?
There isn’t really a down time. The event opens straight after the current year’s event, and we need to start recruiting sponsors etc, in addition to putting on our 10k in December and June. So with such a small team we don’t really ever stop.
If you are not a runner, how can you get involved?
Volunteering is the best way to be involved! We recruit 700 and have all sorts of roles available from Team Leaders to Water Stations. Not only is it a great community event to take part in, but each registered volunteer who completes their role gets a bespoke volunteer medal, breakfast roll, drink AND a free race place for the following years event, so it’s a great incentive. There is also a prize draw after the event to award one lucky winner a Magnum of Champagne!
I hear spaces are pretty tight this year for the Ealing Half, what do you have to do to register?
We are down to the last few places now. We don’t have a cut off date, as such, but close on sell out. So, no time to waste! This year’s event starts at 0900 on Sunday 24 September 2017 from Lammas Park, Ealing W5 5JH. Register here.

Finally, why should people enter the Ealing Half Marathon?
As an official not-for-profit Community Interest Company, our aim is simple: to organise and manage a fully road closed mass participation race to raise a surplus which is ploughed back into community projects. If you want your race fee to do something good, and not just line the pockets of shareholders, we’re the race to choose.
Thanks Sandra!
Some Additional Nuggets for your consumption:
Participants of the Ealing Half marathon benefit from:
- Chip timing
- Bottled water
- West London’s only traffic free half marathon course
- A UKA measured course
- Quality medals
- And great local support & 700 volunteers to get you round on the day
Social Media Links:
> Facebook @EalingHalf
> Twitter @EalingHalf
> Instagram @EalingHalfMarathon
The Ealing Half Marathon team is also delighted to have won the following awards:
- Silver Marathon in the UK — The Running Awards 2017
- Gold Half Marathon in the UK — The Running Awards 2016
- Gold Half Marathon in the UK — The Running Awards 2015
- Gold Half Marathon in the UK — The Running Awards 2014
- Number One for Atmosphere 2013 — Runner’s World
- In the top 10 Half Marathon’s 2012 — Runner’s World
This year’s event starts at 0900 on Sunday 24 September 2017 from Lammas Park, Ealing W5 5JH. Register here
