THOUSANDS of spectators braved challenging weather conditions in Liverpool last Sunday 15 March 2026, to line the streets and cheer on runners taking part in the biggest race staged in the City centre.

The 33rd staging of the BTR Liverpool Half Marathon attracted its biggest ever number of entries, selling out at 15,000 places.

The event also featured the 11th staging of the BTR 10 Mile Road Race, which sold out at 500 places.

Runners and spectators braved wet and windy weather to make the day a success with an inspiriting and motivating atmosphere.

Both races set off together from the new start line at the waterfront Hill Dickinson Stadium, home of Everton Football Club.

An impressive 12,169 runners completed the half marathon, while 375 runners crossed the finish line after running the 10-mile race – making the overall total of runners on the day 12,544.

The 1st 4 miles of the route were updated for this year’s race, taking in more of the City centre and its landmarks including Liverpool Town Hall, Chinese Arch, and Liverpool Cathedral.

The race started at a later time of 9.30am, allowing runners an extra half hour travel time to get to the new start line.

A popular race highlight did remain – the grandstand finish at Pier Head Liverpool.

Runners and spectators enjoyed a new event village post race at the finish line, set against the iconic backdrop of the Three Graces – Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building, and Port Of Liverpool Building – and under the gaze of the world-famous Liver Birds.

The race was officially started by Alan Rothwell, Founder of BTR Liverpool; and Lord Mayor Of Liverpool, Councillor Barbara Murray.

In a hotly contested half marathon, the top 3 males all crossed the finish line within 35 seconds of each other.

The BTR Liverpool Half Marathon 2026 was won Jack Bromley in a time of 1 hour 9 minutes 37 seconds. 10 seconds later, David Meehan from Tulla Athletic Club in 1 hour 9 minutes 47 seconds. James Wootton from Leeds City AC took 3rd place in 1 hour 10 minutes 12 seconds.

1st female finisher in the BTR Liverpool Half Marathon 2026 was Lea Adamson from Annadale Striders in 1 hour 17 minutes 4 seconds. Lea has set a new female half marathon time based on the previous route record of 1 hour 17 minutes 54 seconds.

2nd place was Isabelle Jones in 1 hour 17 minutes 26 seconds. Abbie Smith from Liverpool Harriers & AC took 3rd place in 1 hour 18 minutes 31 seconds.

This was a hat-trick year podium place for Isabelle Jones – who has taken 2nd place in the half marathon for 3 consecutive years. This year is her fastest recorded time – in 2024 she clocked 1 hour 22 minutes 7 seconds, and last year was 1 hour 18 minutes 45 seconds.

It was also a race to the very end for the 10 miler, with the top three males all finishing within 19 seconds of each other.

In the BTR Liverpool 10 Mile Road Race 2026, the winner was Paul Edwards from Mikkeller Running Club Liverpool in 54 minutes 37 seconds. It was a 2nd consecutive year win for Paul, who also took 1st place last year – he knocked 47 seconds off last year’s time.

Just 2 seconds later, Sean Jones from Penny Lane Striders took 2nd place with a time of 54 minutes 39 seconds. 3rd place was taken by another Penny Lane Striders runner, Elliot Kerins clocking 54 minutes 56 seconds.

1st female finisher in the BTR Liverpool 10 Mile Road Race 2026 was Carol Carter from Newmarket Joggers in 1 hour 6 minutes 17 seconds. Andrea Bond from Liverpool Harriers & AC took 2nd place with a time of 1 hour 7 minutes 13 seconds. 3rd place went to Carla Houghton from Kirkby Milers AC in 1 hour 8 minutes 20 seconds.

1st staged in 1994, the race is 1 of the longest established premier road races in the Region, and is a real highlight in the North West running calendar.

The event boosts the local economy across the entire race weekend. Hospitality and tourism businesses benefit including bars, restaurants, hotels, retail, and attractions.

This year, more than 300 runners travelled internationally to participate, from countries including Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Channel Islands, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States of America.

BTR Liverpool worked closely with partners Liverpool City Council, Arriva North West, Merseytravel, Merseyrail, emergency services, and multi-agency planning groups to ensure smooth movement round the city for runners, spectators, local residents, and visitors.

Arriva North West operated a shuttle bus service from Liverpool ONE bus station to the start line. Merseyrail operated earlier train services on the Northern Line and Wirral Line networks into the City centre.

More than 100 runners pulled on their trainers to raise funds for North West Air Ambulance (NWAA), the event’s Official Charity Partner. Collectively they have already raised more than £23,500.

Since its launch in 1999, NWAA has been called to more than 45,000 missions – an average of around 7 times a day. The charity relies solely on fundraising and donations to save lives – it must raise over 18million annually to continue its vital service.

To make a donation, click here.

2 ever present runners maintained an incredible record by completing their 33rd consecutive Liverpool Half Marathon races.

Jamie Doolan from Liverpool and Stephen Symons from Manchester took part in the very 1st race in 1994 and have not missed a year. They each now have an entry for life.

Jamie is a 55-year-old nurse from Broadgreen. He has completed more than 30 marathons – no mean feat after being told he would struggle to walk due to a problem with his legs at birth. He went on to have them straightened with splints, then aged 21 had pins inserted to strengthen his right ankle.

60-year-old Stephen runs for Quays Running Club in Manchester. Despite suffering a brain haemorrhage in November 2012, he still completed the next half marathon race in March 2013 accompanied by family. He has since fully recovered and continues to take part each year.

Liverpool drumming band Batala Mersey entertained runners and spectators at Pier Head Liverpool, spurring on runners as they headed along the home straight to the finish line.

BTR Liverpool is supporting 8 charities across the 2026 event portfolio – Alder Hey Children’s Charity; Claire House Children’s Hospice; Clatterbridge Cancer Charity; Liverpool Women’s Hospital Charity; Liverpool Zoe’s Place; Mersey Cares; North West Air Ambulance; and Wirral University Teaching Hospital. They were represented by runners and volunteers.

BTR Liverpool is the leading organisation for creating, managing, and delivering headline running events across Liverpool City Region.

The BTR Liverpool annual calendar of competitive races and fun runs take place between March and December. The portfolio also includes Liverpool Santa Dash, Mersey Tunnel 10K, Port Sunlight Road Race 10K and 5K, Women’s 10K and 5K Liverpool, Wirral 10K, and Run For The 97.

In 2025, BTR Liverpool and its successful portfolio of events was acquired by Run For All. Mass participation events company Run For All is wholly owned by the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, and continues to honour her ongoing legacy.

Alan Rothwell, BTR Liverpool Founder, commented:- “What an incredible day – and a very memorable day for running in Liverpool. The BTR Liverpool Half Marathon has always been very special. And for the previous 2 years, numbers have risen at an unprecedented rate. This year, the race has sprinted to a whole new level altogether. We hope everyone enjoyed starting at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium start line, before heading into the city centre to take in the sights and landmarks of our wonderful City. And especially well done in such challenging wet and windy weather conditions."

He continued:- “Thank you to our partners, travel providers, and emergency services for their support. An event of this scale takes months of intense planning to ensure everything is in place to ensure a safe race day environment for everyone involved including runners, spectators, and the event day team. Congratulations to every runner, well done to everyone taking part for charity, and a huge thank you to our incredible volunteer teams – the races would not go ahead without you. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2027.”

2 provisional dates have been pencilled in for the BTR Liverpool Half Marathon and 10 Mile Road Race 2027 and entries have opened. 

Next up in the BTR race calendar is the BTR Mersey Tunnel 10K on:- Sunday, 12 April 2026. More than 3,200 runners have already registered so places are limited.

Full details about BTR Liverpool events visit their website.