A scenic marathon in the South West of England, The Plymouth Half Marathon takes in all the sites of the city and takes runners along the beautiful promenade with great views of the seafront. Growing in popularity every year as a charity run this is a great event which receives a great level of support from the local people.

About the race

You start the race in the city centre on the Royal Parade which unfortunately can be a little disorganised but the mixture of upbeat locals and excited runners makes up for this. If you want a fast time you will need to plan your route at the start or you can easily get held up by other runners who have misjudged their times and cause a slight bottleneck. As you get going you will hit the most difficult part of the course an uphill section which can feel as if it has no end. Don't fear as the long uphill is followed by a good downhill part which will allow you to regain any lost time. During the race you will get to see Smeaton's Tower, the picturesque Barbican, and there is a nice stretch through leafy Saltram Park. Support along the route is great and is definitely aided by the large number of people all trying to get to the shops near the end of the race. The finish requires you to take on a difficult hill up towards the Hoe which is not quite the Mall in London but is a great way to finish the race.

Fundraising

Look to raise at least £700 for this half Marathon. As the event continues to grow in charity interest it will become easier to promote as an individual fundraiser. Check out the run for charity fundraising A to Z for some great ideas to help you reach your target.

Support on race day

The Devon crowd are really friendly and really make the effort for you on race day; you will be pleasantly surprised by the amount of charity support visible on the day.

Training

Use the runforcharity.com half marathon training plan and look to do some hill training to ensure you make light of the two challenging hills on the course.

Quality of race organisers

All of the initial information is adequate and the emails provided are well thought out. The start of the race still needs some work as it can be a little disorganised but other than that the race is well managed. A couple more bands and support points around the middle of the race would really help an area that is currently lacking in interest. A nice medal us provided and any race that puts a pasty in your goody bag deserves respect!

Run for charity event rating

To choose a charity to support in this event click here or if you already have a charity in mind click here