Race Day

When: Sunday 19 September 2021 – Enquiries: 8:30 | Start: 9:30 | Finish: 13:00
Should additional Covid-safe provisions still be in place for this event, participants may be allocated start waves between 8:00am and 10:00am. Communicated prior to the event by email and/or SMS, these times may be subject to change.

COVID-19 Mitigation: Should this event be required to operate with additional Covid-related provisions, the following measures, together with other Covid-related requirements, will apply (and may be subject to revision in response to any change in the current public health guidance issued by the government or regulatory bodies).

NHS Test and Trace will be in operation at our events. Participants will be required to complete a health declaration prior to arrival and to check-in where possible using the NHS COVID-19 app (available to download in advance for iOS or Android). Any information obtained will be held for 21 days after an event only and will not be used for any other purpose. Participants may not be permitted on site if they fail to follow this process, the full details of which will be communicated in the week leading up to an event.

One-way navigation and social distancing signage will be present on site to facilitate adherence to official guidance. Queue markers must be observed at all times and sanitisation stations used as frequently as necessary.

Unless there have been any changes following communication of the final pre-event information, there will be no event briefing on the day. Participants should read the communication thoroughly to familiarise themselves with the event details.

Participants will start individually at 10-15 second intervals to maintain social distancing, with a recommended 15-30 minute arrival window allocated and communicated prior to the event. Participants from the same household/bubble will be permitted to start together (if participating in the same distance/category) and should follow the relevant instructions to arrive and/or start at the later of any times communicated (if different). Whilst running, participants should only overtake when there is enough room (at least 1m) to do so.

Once finished, participants should continue moving and follow signage and marshal directions to keep the area clear for other finishers. Any post-event rewards (medal, water etc.) will be self-service (following hand-sanitisation) to ensure there is no contact amongst staff and participants.

Participants are asked to review the UKA Participant Code of Conduct prior to their arrival.

Where: START – Swindon County Ground (postcode SN1 2ED). FINISH – Commercial Road.

Pricing: £39 Unaffiliated, £37 Affiliated, £0 Gold Members. Discounted entry prices are available to employees of Nationwide Building Society and residents of South Swindon Parish with employee numbers or postcodes, respectively, required to validate entry.

Entry on the Day: Entry on the Day will not be available at this event.

Age Requirements: Participants must be aged 17 or over on the day of the race.

Bib Numbers: Bib numbers will be mailed to all participants that have entered by midnight on the Sunday (12th) prior to the event and provided a valid UK address during registration. When a bib cannot be mailed due to an incomplete/invalid address – and in cases where it does not arrive – participants will be able collect a new/replacement bib at the event. Participants need not contact us with respect to non-receipt of their bib but should be prepared to show their booking confirmation on arrival if requested.

To be fastened to the front of your top using safety pins provided, your number should remain visible at all times. A timing chip is attached to the back of the bib and should not be removed.

Timing: Chip-timed.

Route: The course is traffic free, on closed roads and paths (with the exception of emergency responders and vehicles with specific permission). Please always be vigilant of other runners, spectators, dogs, cyclists and other users of public footpaths and rights of way.

Licensing: This race will be licensed with UK Athletics and the results submitted to Run Britain within a week of the race.

Pacers: Subject to availability, pacers will be offered at this event with target times between 1h30 and 2h30.

Facilities

Bag Drop: Whilst we recommend bringing as little as possible, participants can leave essential belongings with us while they run using the tear-off baggage strip on their bib. They can then present their number after the event to retrieve their item(s).

Toilets: Toilets will be available at the start (when active) & finish areas for use throughout the event. No toilets are available on the route.

Medical Cover: Suitable medical cover is provided at our events in case of a medical emergency. As part of the registration process, participants are asked to provide details of any pre-existing medical conditions, disabilities, medication, or allergies that may be relevant in the administration of any medical assistance.

Photography: Photography will be provided, a link to which will be available on our website and communicated to all pre-registered participants within 24 hours of the event.

Race Marshals: Marshals will be present on the course throughout the race.

Distance Markers: Wayfinding signage and distance markers will be visible on the course throughout the event.

Water Stations: Water will be available for runners on the route, approximately every 2 miles.

Rewards: All runners will receive water and snacks on finishing the race.

Changing/Showers: There are no changing rooms or showers at this event.

Lost Property: Any items handed in at this event will be kept for one month. If unclaimed, or ownership cannot be determined, lost property items will be donated to charity.

Results / Prizes

Results: Results will be uploaded live to our website (internet connection permitting) and communicated to all pre-registered participants within 24 hours of the event.

Medals: All finishers will receive a medal on completing their event.

Prizes: Prizes will be awarded post-event to the top three runners overall and the top runner in each of the veteran categories (V40/V50/V60/V70) for both males and females.

T-Shirts

Souvenir t-shirts are available here, along with a range of other race day and training swag like training tops and beanie hats. Anything you order will be sent to you ahead of the event for you to train in, race in and wear whenever you want to brag about your Swindon Half story.

To do our bit for the environment and thanks to your feedback, free finishers t-shirts are no longer given out at the event. Each one is equivalent to around 12 plastic bottles, with many runners telling us that their draw full of unwanted finisher t-shirts add to the 300,000+ garments going to landfill each year in the UK.

Getting to the Race

Directions: Please visit the Swindon County Ground website for further information on getting to the race.

Parking: Swindon Town Centre provides parking for several thousand cars. The new car parks in Princes Street, or to the rear of Debenhams, are just a 0.4mile walk to the start and a 0.3mile walk from the finish. The following are a list of car parks located within a short walk from the start and finish areas. If you are driving, please allow yourself plenty of time to get parked and get to the start line in time for the race and any last minute checks:
Brunel North Multi-Storey Car Park SN1 5AH
Flemming Way Multi-Storey Car Park SN1 2HG
Britannia Place Car Park SN1 4BS
The Parade Multi-Storey Car Park SN1 1RT
Cheltenham Street SN1 1DW
Spring Gardens SN1 2BF
Brunel West Multi-Storey Car Park SN1 5AH
Granville Street SN1 1SG
North Star SN2 1EP
Princes Street SN1 2SD
Prospect Place SN1 3LJ

Further Information

Buggies/Pushchairs: As a UK Athletics licensed event, the pushing of persons in any device is prohibited under the UKA Rules of Competition – including, but not limited to – buggies, pushchairs, strollers (or similar) and wheelchairs.

Wheelchair Users: This event is suitable for wheelchair users. Participants wishing to compete with specialised equipment are asked to contact us before entering to ensure we can accommodate any additional requirements.

Earphones/Headphones: Noise-cancelling earphones/headphones are prohibited and, whilst we discourage the use of other earphones/headphones in running events, participants choosing to use them should ensure they are set to a low enough volume that instructions from any event official can be clearly understood. We reserve the right to disqualify participants who cannot hear instructions as a result of their use.

Event Finish Time: In order that we adhere to the restrictions imposed by the venue hire agreement and road closure schedule, it may be necessary for us to begin deconstruction of the course and/or start/finish area at approximately 13:00 to facilitate our departure from the premises – and re-opening of roads – by the agreed time. If participants are unable to complete their event by this time, they may be asked to end their participation early.

Dogs: Participants must not be accompanied by a personally owned or controlled dog during an event. Entries may be accepted from participants with medical assistance dogs, subject to them being correctly registered and identifiable as such, and subject to prior approval by the Event Director.