Green Park Reading Half Marathon 2027

Sunday, 21 March 2027 · Reading, United Kingdom

In the RunningChecked 5 October 2026Read the sources

Planning the trip? See how In the Running helps make it easier.

Getting to Reading

The organiser suggests arriving in Reading by 8:45 for the half marathon. Runners begin assembling at the start from 9:00. The walk from the race village at the stadium to the start line is 15 to 20 minutes.

By train, Paddington to Reading Central takes about 40 minutes. Green Park station opened in May 2023 next to the start and race village, but the organiser says its connections are hourly, so it runs a shuttle bus from Reading Central.

The shuttle bus runs between Reading station and the stadium and is open to everyone. The first bus leaves the station at 7:00 and the last leaves the stadium at 15:00. There is a small charge, paid by contactless card only, and no cash. The organiser's travel page says a full timetable will follow, and it does not say which year those times are for. Taxis are one way only, because there is no taxi pick-up at the stadium.

There is no parking near the start, the finish or the race village. The organiser has four official car parks that you book when you enter. The Green and Yellow car parks are on Longwater Avenue, a 15-minute walk from the race village, and the Yellow route has steps. The Pink car park is on Brook Drive, 13 minutes away. The Blue car park is the Mereoak park and ride, with a bus of about 9 minutes that is free for Blue permit holders. Cars in the Green, Pink and Yellow car parks must be in by 8:00 and cannot leave before 12:30.

The organiser asks drivers not to use junction 11 of the M4 to reach the town centre.

Where to stay in Reading

The organiser's accommodation page names two partner hotels as the closest to the start and finish and says they fill up early. One is part of the stadium complex that holds the race village and the finish. Its guests get free parking, but cannot move a car on race day until the race is over. The organiser says 2027 packages from both hotels will be published soon.

If you stay in the centre, the shuttle bus from Reading station is the link to the stadium. Plan a walk of 15 to 20 minutes from the race village to the start.

Collecting your number 2027 details

Collect at Reading Football Club Stadium, RG2 0FL. The organiser gives Saturday 20 March from 10:00 to 16:00. Bring your entry confirmation email and photo ID.

The organiser's pages disagree about Friday 19 March. The race pack section and the help desk give 15:30 to 18:30, but the merchandise section gives 17:00 to 20:00. If Saturday does not work for you, ask the organiser before you rely on a Friday time.

There is no collection on Sunday. The help desk in the race village opens at 7:00 on race day for problems such as a posted number that never arrived. Do not plan to use it instead of the collection window.

If you asked for your pack by post, the organiser posts it in February if you entered before 31 January, and in March if you entered after. Runners from abroad cannot have a pack posted and must collect. Postal entries close about a month before the race, and collection-only entries stay open until about a week before, or sooner if the race fills.

Race morning 2027 details

The half marathon starts at 10:15. Your bib is colour-coded for the estimated finish time you gave, and each coloured zone is released separately. The start zones are signposted with coloured flags and marshalled, and the final zone times will be in the race guide. Your chip time starts when you cross the start line.

Leave your bag at the Baggage Tent in the race village, using the label that comes with your number. You collect it by showing your number. Expect a queue at peak times. The race village opens at 7:00, and the toilets and Help Desk are there. There are no showers or changing rooms, and the organiser tells runners to use the stadium concourse or the hotel for extra toilets.

There is one meeting point for friends and family, in the centre of the race village, marked by triangular fencing around a lamp post.

The organiser has a time limit of about 4 hours from the start, because the roads must reopen. If you expect to take longer, the organiser asks you to email before the race.

The course 2027 details

The course is 13.1 miles on closed roads and tarmac. The organiser warns that some stretches can be uneven and undulating. No total climb figure is given on the pages checked.

Water is at about every 3 miles, at miles 3, 6, 9 and 12, with a limited number of toilets at each station. Pacers run at 5-minute intervals from 1:20 to 2:30, plus 2:40, 2:50 and 3:00, and run to chip time, not gun time.

Conventional in-ear and over-ear headphones are banned under UK Athletics rules. Bone-conduction headphones are allowed.

Weather in Reading in March

The race has been held between 22 March and 14 April in the last five editions. These are the last five completed race days at Longwater Avenue in Green Park, at 10:00 and at 13:00. They are model estimates for the start area, not readings from a weather station.

The 2027 race is on 21 March, a day earlier in the calendar than the earliest of these five.

Afterwards

The finish is inside the stadium, and the race village is there, so your bag and friends are in one place. Agree the meeting point before the start.

Cars in the Green, Pink and Yellow car parks cannot leave before 12:30. The last shuttle bus leaves the stadium for Reading station at 15:00. Taxis do not collect at the stadium, so walk away from it or book a pick-up off site.

Other race weekends

Close by, and with guides of their own, are Oxford Half Marathon and London Landmarks Half.

The next races with a guide

Prague Half Marathon3 April 2027 · Prague, Czechia Berlin Half Marathon4 April 2027 · Berlin, Germany Brighton Marathon4 April 2027 · Brighton, United Kingdom

All race weekend guides

Sources

Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 5 October 2026.

If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.