Hackney Half Explained

The Hackney Half is an annual half-marathon held during the spring in the London borough of Hackney. The first event was held in 2014, with over 12,000 runners taking part.^[1] The event is London's biggest half-marathon event, with 24,000 runners taking part in the 2023 event.^[2]

In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[3] In 2021, the event originally set to happen in May, was postponed to September 26th with a scaled back event due to the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom.^[4]

In 2023, organisers of the event were accused of “greenwashing” by Green Party councillor Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, after the airline Wizz Air sponsored the event.^[5] General entries for the 2025 event sold out in a record time of two weeks.^{[6] [7]}

Course

The closed road race has a flat course that starts and finishes in Hackney Marshes, taking in Hackney Downs, Hackney Central past the Hackney Empire, Broadway Market, and Hackney Wick.^[8]

Records

Editions

Edition	Date	Men's winner	Time	Women's winner	Time
1	22 June 2014[9]	Peter Emase	1:04:19	Gladys Yator	1:15:30
2	10 May 2015[10]	Mathew Kimutai	1:03:21	Katy Webster	1:17:38
3	8 May 2016[11]	Mark Kibiwott	1:04:38	Hannah Walker	1:18:12
4	30 April 2017[12]	Paul Whittaker	1:06:55	Isabel Clark	1:18:10
5	22 May 2018[13]	Joe Morwood	1:08:50	Stephanie Davis	1:16:41
6	19 May 2019[14]	Jonathan Cornish	1:06:58	Emily Stewart	1:19:45
7	26 September 2021[15]	Jonathan Cornish	1:06:36	Laura Kaye	1:19:12
8	22 May 2022[16]	Sam Bramwell	1:09:17	Rebecca Bunting	1:19:13
9	21 May 2023[17]	Sam Bramwell	1:07.56	Kirsty Fraser	1:17.16
10	19 May 2024[18]	Fredrick Hessian	1:08:05	Yvie Lock	1:15:25

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bartholomew . Emma . 2014-06-28 . Inaugural Run Hackney half marathon: photo gallery . Hackney Gazette.
2. Web site: Ouzia . Malik . 2023-05-20 . East London set for biggest ever Hackney Half with record 24,000 field . 2024-05-12 . Evening Standard . en.
3. Web site: Chant . Holly . 2020-05-29 . The Hackney Half will not happen in 2020 . 2024-05-13 . Runner's World . en-GB.
4. Web site: McGuire . Jane . 2021-02-24 . Hackney Half marathon postponed following government's lockdown roadmap . 2024-05-13 . Hackney Gazette . en.
5. Web site: Gregory . Julia . 2023-05-19 . Local councillor accuses Hackney Half organisers of 'participating in greenwashing' through Wizz Air sponsorship . 2024-05-12 . Hackney Citizen . en-GB.
6. Web site: 2024-06-04 . Hackney Half sells out general entries for 2025 in record two weeks . 2024-06-07 . Running Insights - Everything RUNNING . en-GB.
7. Web site: Brooke . Mike . 2024-06-06 . Hackney Half marathon general entries for 2025 sold out . 2024-06-12 . Hackney Gazette . en.
8. Web site: 2024-05-08 . 2024 Hackney Half Marathon: Everything you need to know . 2024-05-12 . Runner's World . en-GB.
9. Web site: 2014-06-23 . Kenyan runners top podium at Hackney’s first half marathon . 2024-05-20 . Hackney Citizen . en-GB.
10. Web site: Run Hackney 2015 . 2024-05-20 . MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results.
11. Web site: Vitality Run Hackney 2016 . 2024-05-20 . MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results.
12. Web site: Hackney . 2024-05-20 . MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results.
13. Web site: Results 2018: Virgin Sport Hackney News . 2024-06-07 . Ahotu . en.
14. Web site: 2019-05-21 . Hackney Festival of Fitness 2019 . 2024-06-07 . Hackney Magazine . en-GB.
15. Web site: 2021-09-27 . No shortage of energy for runners in the Hackney Half and 5K . 2024-05-13 . Hackney Gazette . en.
16. Web site: 2022-05-24 . Hackney Half Marathon report 2022 . 2024-05-13 . runABC . en.
17. Web site: 2023-05-22 . Record numbers enjoy Wizz Air Hackney Half Marathon . 2024-05-13 . Hackney Gazette . en.
18. News: Amber . Peake . 2024-05-20 . Hackney Half Marathon 2024 results: Times of top runners who crossed finishing line first . 2024-05-20 . LondonWorld.