Liverpool Half Marathon – everything you need to know about this Sunday’s race

The Liverpool Half Marathon is set to take place on Sunday, 15 March, with an anticipated turnout of 15,000 participants, making it the largest BTR Liverpool Half Marathon event held in the city to date. Due to this significant influx of runners and spectators, those traveling in and around Liverpool are being advised to carefully plan their routes in advance because of numerous road closures throughout the day.

This year’s marathon introduces a revised course as well as a delayed start time of 9:30am, providing runners with an additional 30 minutes to reach the newly positioned starting point at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Alongside the half marathon, 500 runners will also compete in the 11th edition of the BTR 10 Mile Road Race, with both events commencing simultaneously.

Significant changes have been made to the route this year. The opening four miles now highlight more of Liverpool’s city centre, allowing runners to pass iconic landmarks such as Liverpool Town Hall, the Chinese Arch, and Liverpool Cathedral. Later in the race, runners will no longer run through Otterspool Park or along The Promenade. Instead, the course returns from Sefton Park and Princes Park via Princes Road and Upper Parliament Street, before continuing past Queens Wharf and Halftide Wharf, then rejoining the familiar path at King’s Dock. The final stretch follows the waterfront, finishing at Pier Head.

To accommodate the event, a series of road closures will be in effect from 4am until approximately 3pm on race day. Initial closures around the start and finish areas—Hill Dickinson Stadium and the Royal Liver Building, respectively—will begin at 4am, with route-specific shutdowns starting at 8:30am. Due to the altered course, some roads, including the waterfront, Strand, and sections of Upper Parliament Street heading north, will remain closed longer than in previous years, reopening around 1:30pm. The increased traffic expected in the city centre means roads will be busier than usual until 2pm, so visitors are encouraged to use public transportation or adjust their arrival times accordingly.

Public transport services have been enhanced to support the event. Arriva North West will operate shuttle buses from Liverpool ONE bus station to Great Howard Street and Blackstone Street, running from 6:30am until the last service at 9am, with a fare of £2 per rider. Merseyrail is also providing earlier train services to Liverpool Central, Moorfields, and Sandhills on both the Northern and Wirral lines to accommodate the increased demand.

Alan Rothwell, founder of BTR, commented on the event, stating: “This weekend we welcome an incredible 15,000 runners and thousands of spectators to experience the biggest ever BTR Liverpool Half Marathon. The event is about to be taken to another level and it’s extremely exciting for everyone involved. I urge runners and spectators to plan travel arrangements well in advance to make their day as seamless and stress-free as possible. To make the course safe we must close roads and have restricted access in places, but these will be lifted as soon as it is safe to do so. We thank you for your support. And we look forward to welcoming everyone to Liverpool.”

Read the full article on Liverpool Express here: Read More