News / Sport
Bristol Half Marathon 2014
Bristol city centre will be filled with thousands of runners and spectators for the 2014 Bristol Half Marathon on Sunday.
The 13.1-mile route takes runners along the harbourside, up and down the Portway, under the Bristol Suspension Bridge, back through Cumberland Road, around Castle Park and The Centre before finishing on Anchor Road.
The event, now one of the largest half marathons in the UK, will start at 9.30am with the Lord Mayor waving off the first runners, before joining them himself wearing full robes.
The fastest, elite runners are expected to complete the distance in just over an hour. Most runners will have completed the half marathon distance by 1pm.
Some city roads along the route will close to traffic from 3am on Sunday, with the aim to reopen most of them by early in the afternoon. Full details of road closures are available at www.runbristol.com or pick up a leaflet from local libraries. There is also a traffic hotline telephone number, 0117 903 1212.
Park and Ride services in the city will be operating for the participants, spectators and members of the public wishing to access the city centre. Anyone parking their cars overnight on city streets or near the race route should check road closure information before the weekend.
Thousands of runners will be raising funds for their chosen charity on the day with many taking part for the official race charities, which this year are St Peter’s Hospice, Penny Brohn Cancer Care and Refugee Action.
One woman will be running in memory of her late stepdad who died from a brain tumour. Natasha Baldwin, 26, has also called on people to fulfil three ‘must dos’ to celebrate Graham Bolt’s life.
Natasha, from Hampton Road, Clifton, will run in aid of Brain Tumour Research charity.
She said: “When Graham was unwell I felt a bit helpless. Funding for brain tumour research is underfunded and this is my small way of giving something back.
“It’s also a way of saying thank you to Graham for everything he did for our family. He was kind, generous and always looked after me, mum and my brother, Josh. “
Her three must dos are to take as many photos as possible to remember the good times, laugh more and worry less and to be more accepting and less judgemental. The last one comes after people passed remarks that Graham was drunk, not knowing he was unwell.
To sponsor her – or read her ‘three must dos’ – visit https://www.justgiving.com/grabo
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