Leicestershire Half Marathon: Course, Elevation & Route Profile

Course & Elevation

From the school grounds on the western edge of Loughborough the route first drops and then rolls west towards Shepshed. The whole course stays between about 45 and 85 m, but it rarely settles: around 200 m of ascent is spread over many short ramps of 10 to 20 m, the steepest averaging just under 4 %, at about km 4, 12.7, 16 and 17.5.

In the northwest the lap reaches its far point along the Belton road, then swings east towards Hathern and falls to the lowest point of the day around km 12. The most restless section follows, with several counter-rises between km 12.5 and 18, before the last three kilometres lead back into Loughborough. The very last kilometre rises gently again to the college.

The surface is mainly tarmac with some grass sections, and water is at roughly miles 3, 6.5 and 10. With the race at the end of February, cold, wind and wet roads are realistic; the event village at the college serves as start, finish and warm-up area.

Pacing Strategy

This course rewards running by effort rather than pace. Each of the many short ramps costs only a few seconds if you climb it at steady effort, but noticeably more if you force goal pace up the slope and then need the top to recover.

The stretch to km 12 falls slightly overall, and that is exactly where the temptation to bank time is greatest. Use the momentum of the descents without overdoing it, because between km 12.5 and 18 the counter-rises come closer together than anywhere else.

Keep something for the finish. The last three kilometres are flatter, but the gentle rise in the final kilometre to the college arrives when the legs are already heavy; anyone who has run evenly up to there can still pick it up.

Training plan for Leicestershire Half Marathon: 12-week build

For most age-group runners the Leicestershire Half Marathon takes between about 1:30 and 2:30, an aerobic effort just below threshold. The constant up and down makes it somewhat harder than a flat city race, without any single climb deciding the race.

Prepare for lots of short changes of rhythm. Tempo runs on rolling roads where you hold the effort constant, and hill strides of 30 to 60 seconds on 3 to 5 % ramps, train exactly the pattern of this course. Long runs of 16 to 20 km should also go over hilly ground.

Because some sections cross grass, it does no harm to run off-road now and then and get confident on wet grass in road shoes.

The late-February date puts most of the build into December, January and February. Plan for cold, rain and early darkness, train in your race kit and rehearse warming up in low temperatures.