Running the Wokingham Half
A gem of a closed road course that’s perfect for a Spring half marathon PB attempt
The Wokingham Half is a closed road half marathon that takes place in Wokingham, Berkshire every February. The predominantly flat course and spectacular English countryside make this an extremely popular event, with more than 3000 people taking part in the 2023 edition.
The course record at the Wokingham Half is a scorching 63:14, and as the race falls bang in the middle of a traditional London Marathon training cycle, this is an excellent event to put your marathon training to the test — or to simply go all-out to see if you can notch another PB.
So if you’re thinking about running the Wokingham Half, here’s what you can expect.
Pre-race Organisation
The website for the Wokingham Half is pretty decent by the standards of similar-sized events and contains everything you need to know as a runner. You’ll find comprehensive event information, including an interactive route map, detailed FAQ and clear instructions on how to get to (and park nearby) the event.
After signing up online, you receive a clear confirmation email. About a month before the race, a race pack was delivered to my door, including bib number, bag drop tag and more event information.
Two weeks before the race, the race organisers emailed a detailed pdf recapping all the important race-related information, including maps and addresses of over half a dozen nearby car parks.
The only low point in the pre-race organisation was the lack of social media engagement, with just a single Instagram post published prior to the race. There was also zero engagement on the race’s hashtags and account, which given how well organised everything else was, it was a bit of a shame. But other than that, this was one of the best-organised smaller running events I’ve ever taken part in, even on a part with something like running the Great North Run.
Course Map
The Wokingham Half starts in Cantely Park and heads out and uphill towards the town of Wokingham. After circling back towards the park, the route bears right and crossed the A329(M) motorway, before taking a stead downhill and into the closed country lanes.
There’s a small switchback around Mile 3, then at Mile 5 you start a 5-mile loop past Shurlock Row and Hurst, before re-joining the outbound race route and heading back towards Canterly Park.
Start Village
As your race bib was mailed to you in advance, the only things to do at the Start Village at Cantley Park are to pee and to bag drop. Both were well-organised, and although the queues for the toilets did seem long, they moved very fast — I only waited about 5 minutes.
Bag drop was also quick and easy, you just handed your bag (with the baggage tag attached that you were sent through the post) to one of the race volunteers standing under the range of your race number.
There were a few food and drink stalls at the Start Village too, but as I’d arrived very much ‘on time’ I only had time to do the essentials and jump in the start pen. But for any supporters, there was plenty to keep them fed and watered while you ran.
Start Line
The Wokingham Half start line is just inside Cantley Park, where 3,000 runners lined up to take part on the closed road course. It very much had a ‘big race’ feeling, with the pre-race entertainment really getting you in the mood.
The race started bang on time, and after running through the start gantry you take a left turn on to Milton Road and the Wokingham Half is off!
Wokingham
Support along the opening roads of the Wokingham Half is excellent, with both sides of the street lined with supporters. Although the first 600m is predominantly uphill, the adrenaline of the start line and buzz from the support mean you make short work of it.
After running through Wokingham town centre, the course opens up as the road widens and the runners settle into their paces. Once you’ve hit Mile 2 and take a right turn towards Kentwood Meadows, the support will carry you along to the first of four motorway crossings.
A329(M) Flyover
The first motorway crossing takes you over the A329(M), which means quite an aggressive incline to get on to the flyover. The good news is that down the other side is just as steep, meaning you can make-up some of the time lost going uphill.
The downhill stretch continues along Warren House Road before flattening when you reach a short ‘dog-leg’ switchback along Forest Road. The first of four water stations is located at this point around Mile 3, offering water and toilet facilities.
The Straight Mile
The Straight Mile is a long, straight stretch of road that takes you up to the second motorway crossing over the M4. This one isn’t as aggressive as the A329(M) crossing, so it’s possible to pretty much maintain your pace.
After passing Mile 5, the Wokingham Half race route takes a right-turn towards Shurlock Row and the second water station, looping back towards the Straight Mile road B3018.
Hurst
The third water station is at Hurst, about 8.75 miles in. There’s great support as you run through this village, with the locals cheering you on as you round the corner to complete the loop back to the Straight Mile.
Back to Cantley Park
After re-joining the B3018 Straight Mile about 9.75 miles in, the Working Half race route follows the same path as the outbound section through Miles 2 to 5, with the fourth and final water station about 11.5 miles in. This means running up over the M4 flyover again, and then attacking the incline that leads towards the A329(M) flyover.
This last flyover is tough as it comes after a prolonged stage of uphill running that your legs won’t be used to by this point on the race. But once you’re over the top and heading past Kentwood Meadows again, the support is back and cheering you on to the finish line.
Final Stretch and Finish Line
Instead of running back through the town of Wokingham, the final stretch loops round the other side of Cantley Park. There’s a short downhill section as you enter Bell Foundry Lane, which flattens as you round the back of the park but then turns into an incline for the final push towards the finish line.
The finish line itself is exactly the same place as the start line, so you know that after rounding the final corner you have a 100m sprint to the end of running the Wokingham Half.
A very nice touch was having a pace car with the race time clock right at the corner as you turn in to the finish line, meaning you could see the time ticking as you were pushing up that final incline.
Race Strategy
I was using this race as a fitness test for running the Boston Marathon in a couple of months’ time and my goal was a sub-1:23 time at the Wokingham Half. I’d been using my tempo runs to train at 6:19 mins/ mile, and to hit a sub-1:23 I needed to come in just a second or two quicker than that pace. So going into running the Wokingham Half, I was in pretty good shape.
All the feedback I’d heard about this race was that it was flat (129m elevation gain) and fast (63:14 course record), so in terms of a race strategy my plan was to run an even pace of 6:15 to 6:19 mins/ mile, knowing I’d have to slow slightly going up any hills but that I could make time back on any downhill section. It would also give me a small float just in case I tired towards the end.
I ended up putting down a rather punchy 6:11 mins/ mile pace for Mile 1, then used the long downhill section coming off the back of the A329(M) flyover to clock 6:03 mins/ mile for Mile 2. Mile 3 was a little slower at 6:26 mins/ mile, then for Miles 4 through 10 I eased into my rhythm, running between 6:09 and 6:19 mins/ mile. So through the middle section it’s absolutely possible to maintain your target pace, even as the course does have the odd turn and bump in it.
Mile 11 was my slowest mile of the race at 6:34 mins/ mile due to the long uphill stretch leading back to the A329(M) flyover, but once you’re over that it’s possible to put your foot down again and power home to the finish line.
Even though the last stretch is uphill, Mile 13 was my fastest mile at 5:59 mins/ mile, leading to a sprint finish at the end and a new PB of 1:22:18, hitting my race target of a sub-1:23.
So in terms of race strategy, I’d recommend trying to run even splits, don’t go out too fast at the start and settle into your stride after you’ve crossed the A329(M) flyover for the first time. You will likely slow down around Mile 11 as you come back up the hill towards the A329(M) flyover, but you can then give it all you’ve got to power through to the end.
Reflections
I really enjoyed running the Wokingham Half. The organisation beforehand and during was excellent and it really had that ‘Big Race’ feel. The closed roads are excellent, so you don’t need to worry about traffic, and through the towns and villages support was extremely warm and welcoming.
It helped that I also achieved my race goal of a sub-1:23, and I’d say to anyone living in the Southeast of England, if you’re looking for an early Spring fitness test or looking to bank a new half marathon, you should absolutely check out running the Wokingham Half.
And if all goes well with my other races and ballot applications, I may well be using the Wokingham Half for another fitness test and PB attempt next year!
If you’ve liked this race report, you can check out my other reports on Running the New York Marathon, Running the Berlin Marathon and Running the Athens Authentic Marathon.
Follow me on Instagram and share your own running journey with me.
