Great Birmingham Run Draws 16,000 in Birmingham Half Marathon 2026
About 16,000 participants will take part in the birmingham half marathon 2026 weekend, with the half marathon and 10k on Sunday drawing the biggest crowds onto Birmingham’s streets. Road closures begin at 04:30 BST and some roads stay shut until 17:00, so the city’s race-day footprint is wide and long.
Centenary Square to Aston University
The Sunday races start in Centenary Square and finish at a new festival-style finish village at Aston University. Participants will set off between 08:30 and 10:24, while an information point opens in Centenary Square at 07:00 and runners are expected to assemble from 07:30.
The half marathon and 10k routes pass the Jewellery Quarter, Grand Central and St Martin's Church, with organisers saying the course will “showcase Birmingham at its best.” The new finish setup is described as “festival-style,” giving the day a different endpoint from a standard road-race finish.
Broad Street Road Closures
Part of Broad Street will close to traffic from 04:30, and rolling road closures will spread across the city through the morning. Some roads around Birmingham remain closed until 17:00 on Sunday, which leaves a long window for anyone moving through the center to plan around.
That timing matters because the heaviest disruption arrives before most runners have even started, then lasts well after the final wave goes off. Anyone heading into the city on Sunday will need to work around the 04:30 start to closures, the 07:00 information point opening, and the 07:30 assembly time.
Alexander Stadium Saturday
The weekend opens a day earlier at the Alexander Stadium, where the Junior and Mini Great Birmingham Run takes place on Saturday. The site opens to the public at 08:00 and the events start from 09:00.
Children aged three to eight will run a mini distance of 1.5km, while children aged nine to 15 will cover a 2.5km route. That gives the weekend a second race day before the city shifts to the larger half marathon and 10k fields on Sunday.
For Birmingham, the scale is the story: 16,000 runners, two main Sunday races, a Saturday youth program, and a city center route that stays active from dawn into late afternoon. Anyone travelling near Broad Street, Centenary Square or the Aston University finish area on Sunday will need to build their day around the closures rather than the other way around.
