Shoreditch’s first half marathon drew 12,000 runners, 15,000 supporters and raised more than £110,000 for charity.
Shoreditch’s move from 10K to half marathon brought 12,000 runners onto the streets of East London, drew around 15,000 supporters and helped raise more than £110,000 for charity.
There are quieter ways to spend a Sunday morning in East London. On 20 September, Shoreditch chose none of them.
The Saucony Run Shoreditch Half 2026 brought 12,000 runners to the streets for the area’s first half marathon, transforming a race that began as a 10K only a year ago into a sold-out 13.1-mile event.
Around 15,000 supporters joined them along the route, producing the sort of numbers that made this considerably more than a matter of runners, timing chips and sore calves. For several hours, neighbourhoods across Hackney and Islington became part of the course itself.
From a 10K to 12,000 half marathon runners
The scale of the debut tells its own story.
Saucony Run Shoreditch launched as a 10K in 2025. Following that event, the distance was extended to a half marathon and additional places were made available to meet demand.
Those places went. All 12,000 of them.
The new route started and finished beside Shoreditch Park before taking runners through Hoxton Market, Clissold Park, Stoke Newington and De Beauvoir.
Each section brought a different flavour to the race, with spectators lining the streets and local cafés and bakeries joining the celebrations. For anyone attempting a first half marathon, the prospect of thousands of people making noise at precisely the moment your legs begin negotiating an early retirement is no small advantage.
Patrick Maher and Becky Briggs lead the field home
At the sharp end, Patrick Maher took first place in the men’s race in 1:09:15, followed by Thomas Holliday in 1:09:32 and Magnus Ross in 1:10:27.
Becky Briggs led the women home in 1:17:12, with Sophie Bradick second in 1:18:25 and Charlotte Smith third in 1:19:51.
Behind them came the broader mixture that gives a mass-participation half marathon much of its character: experienced racers sharing the same roads as runners tackling 13.1 miles for the first time.
Shoreditch Park acted as the event’s central hub, with an event village containing food vendors, music and entertainment for runners and supporters.
More than £110,000 raised for charity
The race also carried a substantial fundraising element.
Participants raised more than £110,000 for the event’s official charity partners: headline charity partner Alzheimer’s Society, alongside Bart’s Charity and Tommy’s.
That gave the day another measure beyond finishing times. For many of the 12,000 taking part, getting around the course was tied to a fundraising challenge as well as a personal one.
Cameron Black, Vice President & General Manager at Saucony EMEA, said:
“Seeing 12,000 runners take to the streets for the first-ever Run Shoreditch Half, supported by so many people from across the local community, was a brilliant demonstration of what Run As One is all about.”
He added that the intention had been to create something with Shoreditch rather than simply stage a race there, involving local running crews, businesses and creatives in the build-up.
A race built around its neighbourhoods
That community element mattered because this was never going to be a half marathon conducted anonymously through closed streets.
Hoxton, Stoke Newington, De Beauvoir and the areas surrounding Clissold Park were part of the identity of the route, while event partners Runna, Celsius, Runseek, e.l.f., Jubel and OTE provided activations including cheer zones and giveaways.
Ian Allerton, Managing Director at Motiv Sports, said the atmosphere demonstrated why the organiser enjoys staging events for London’s running community.
“Shoreditch brought an incredible atmosphere across the entire route. Congratulations to every runner who raced in this half marathon’s debut; you will forever be a part of this event’s history.”
For a race in its first year at half marathon distance, perhaps the most telling detail is that another one is already on the calendar.
The second Saucony Run Shoreditch Half is scheduled for 19 September 2027, following the return of the Saucony London 10K on 11 July.
After 12,000 runners and roughly 15,000 supporters filled the streets for the debut, Shoreditch now has something it did not have before Sunday: a half marathon with a first chapter already written.
