Southampton's running year: from 10K to marathon

Southampton has a running habit that goes well beyond the big annual festival, and the most recent chapter landed yesterday. The RunThrough Southampton Half Marathon and 10K took place on Sunday 4 October at St Mary's Stadium on Britannia Road, with a 5K and a Junior race rounded off the morning. It is a different beast from the ABP Southampton Marathon Festival that shuts down the city centre in the spring, but it carries a good chunk of the same appeal.

For anyone who missed it or is already eyeing the next one, the format is straightforward. The Half Marathon got things moving at 09:00, followed by the 10K at 09:30 and the 5K at 09:45, with the Junior race coming in later at 12:00. It is a compact morning of racing rather than a full day of road closures, which makes it an easier one to drop into if you are not ready for a full marathon.

The pricing on this edition sat apart from the spring festival's tiers. The Half Marathon was £40, the 10K £33 and the 5K £31, with the Junior race at £10. If those figures look steep compared to the early-bird offers you see on the main festival, it is worth remembering that this is a separate event entirely, run by RunThrough rather than the Rees Leisure team behind the ABP festival.

That spring festival is the one that really earns the 'city's biggest running weekend' tag, and it is worth knowing how it differs so you can pick your distance. The ABP event is a full-blown festival with a Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and a Mile Fun Run, all starting at Dock Gate 8 at the City Cruise Terminal and finishing in Guildhall Square. The marathon and half marathon both cross the Itchen Bridge twice, looping through Mayflower Park, the Red Funnel ferry terminals, Queens Park, Woolston, Weston Shore, past St Mary's Stadium, over Northam Bridge, through Riverside Park, Portswood and Southampton Common before the final stretch into town. The 10K also crosses the bridge twice and takes in Palmerston Park and East Park, with a downhill finish down London Road. The 5K is the gentler of the lot, passing the bridge and the south car park at St Mary's Stadium.

Logistics on the big one are a bit more involved. All the main races start at 09:00, the Mile Fun Run at 15:30, the race village opens at 07:00 and there is a warm-up at 08:40, so runners are told to arrive at least 90 minutes before their start. The Itchen Bridge closes between 08:00 and 14:00, which is the bit that actually affects the rest of the city. Cut-offs are three hours for the half, two for the 10K and 5K, and the marathon gives you until 15:00, with a first-lap cut-off at midday. Entry includes a finisher's medal, chip-timed results, water and fuel stations, bag drop and live music along the way.

Whether you are chasing a personal best or just want to run past St Mary's Stadium, Southampton has the distance covered. Between the spring festival and the autumn races, there is rarely a month without something to train for.