AJ Bell Great South Run.
The AJ Bell Great South Run is Britain's biggest ten-mile road race and the flattest course in the Great Run series: 16.1 kilometres across Portsea Island for a grand total of 14 metres of climbing. Nobody comes here to fight a hill. The opponent is the October wind on Southsea's exposed seafront, and that is what the preparation has to answer.
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The course, elevation and route profile are from the most recent edition.
AJ Bell Great South Run: Course, Route Profile & Map
The loop starts and finishes on Clarence Esplanade in Southsea, right on the water. The opening kilometres run west around Old Portsmouth, past the Round Tower and under the Spinnaker Tower, before the course turns at around kilometre three into the thing that defines it: the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. For one Sunday morning the field runs through a working naval base that is otherwise closed, straight past HMS Victory and the Mary Rose. That section is why people come back.
From the harbour the route heads through the city centre past the Guildhall and then across the island into the eastern residential streets as far as Eastney. This middle third is sheltered, built-up and thick with spectators, and it tempts runners into a pace they pay for later.
At about kilometre twelve the course drops onto the seafront road and stays there. The last four kilometres are completely exposed along the Solent, past South Parade Pier and Southsea Castle. The surface is closed asphalt throughout and the whole course sits in a two-to-seven-metre elevation band – 99.5 per cent of it registers as flat.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace AJ Bell Great South Run.
Start under control
On a course with 0.9 metres of climbing per kilometre there is no hill over which to distribute effort. This is a near-constant threshold run, and the split is dictated by wind direction rather than by gradient. The first twelve kilometres through the city and the dockyard are largely sheltered, and running them on feel almost always means running them too fast.
Hold your rhythm
The race is decided from kilometre twelve onwards, on the seafront. If the wind comes off the sea or out of the south-west – as it often does on the south coast in October – the flattest part of the course becomes the most expensive one: holding pace there costs far more than it did between the buildings, and there is no corner and no wall left to hide behind.
Spend what is left
That asymmetry is the trap. Running the first eight kilometres at or under goal pace in the shelter of the streets costs more over the final four than it gained. The workable plan is a slightly negative effort curve: stay controlled and just off goal pace through the city, and turn onto the esplanade inside a group of similar runners so the wind work can be shared.
Training plan for AJ Bell Great South Run: 12-week build
Build the base
For a competitive age-group runner the ten miles take roughly 60 to 100 minutes. The demand is unusually monotonous: a steady aerobic effort at or just under threshold, with no climbs, no descents and no rhythm changes to hand out a moment's recovery. That uniformity is the real challenge of the course.
Train race pace
The decisive phase is the closing four kilometres on the open seafront road. It asks for the ability to hold an even pace against added resistance while already tired – physically and mentally. A runner who only trains on sheltered loops has never rehearsed that.
Rehearse the course
Conditions are the second key. Mid-October on the English south coast means cool, damp air and a wind that is almost never entirely absent on Portsea Island. Deliberate sessions in wind and rain on exposed ground – a coastline, a causeway, an open field – belong in the last six weeks, and so does settling on light, wind-resistant kit before race day rather than on the start line.
Arrive fresh
The training emphasis follows from that: threshold work in long blocks rather than hill repeats. Twenty-to-forty-minute tempo runs, cruise intervals with short recoveries, and a flat long run finished at goal pace. Strength work can concentrate on trunk and foot stability; this course never asks for climbing power.
Courses
Download the AJ Bell Great South Run course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for AJ Bell Great South Run dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about AJ Bell Great South Run.
How long is AJ Bell Great South Run?
AJ Bell Great South Run is 16.09 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does AJ Bell Great South Run have?
AJ Bell Great South Run has around 14 m of elevation gain over 16.09 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of AJ Bell Great South Run?
AJ Bell Great South Run is classified as Flat, averaging 0.9 vertical metres per kilometre. 100% of the route is flat, 1% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
Is AJ Bell Great South Run a loop course?
Yes, AJ Bell Great South Run is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the AJ Bell Great South Run course?
Yes. The AJ Bell Great South Run course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for AJ Bell Great South Run?
Preparation for AJ Bell Great South Run should account for 16.09 km, 14 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for AJ Bell Great South Run?
The pacing strategy for AJ Bell Great South Run should reflect 16.09 km, 14 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does AJ Bell Great South Run next take place?
No date has been announced for the next edition yet. The most recent one was held on October 18, 2026.
Where does AJ Bell Great South Run take place?
AJ Bell Great South Run takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
Which distances does AJ Bell Great South Run offer?
AJ Bell Great South Run offers 2 distances — Great South Run: 16.09 km; AJ Bell Great South 5K: 5 km.
How do I register for AJ Bell Great South Run?
Registration runs through the organiser: greatrun.org. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
