Above and below are route maps and details for our Half Marathon and 10k route in 2025. Whilst our 10k route remains the same as in previous years, there are some big changes to this year’s Half Marathon route, notably in and around Thurmaston and Watermead Park.
Run Leicester Half Marathon 2025
The vast majority of our Half Marathon route remains the same as in previous years, albeit with some changes between miles 5 and 8 in Thurmaston and Watermead Park.
After the buzz of the start line you head out of Victoria Park and have a lovely long down hill straight into the city centre. We head straight across town via Charles Street and Belgrave Gate, and then it’s onwards along Leicester’s famous Golden mile on generally flat roads until you reach our first water stop approximately 3 miles in. As you head up Melton Road on the Golden Mile all Half Marathon runners should keep to the right hand lane and carry straight all the way to the city limits (the 10k race will branch off left at Loughborough Road’s junction with Melton Road.
Continuing further out of the city we head up through Thurmaston, however where in previous years runners would have continued all the way to the top end of Thurmaston and along the main road to the top of Watermead Park, runners will now turn left out of Thurmaston down Canal Street and enter Watermead Park earlier on the route making this section much more scenic. Following Canal Street into Watermead Park, we’ll pass over the canal bridge and turn right into Watermead Park at the bottom end of King Lear Lake. For those local that are familiar with Watermead Parkrun, we’ll then continue up the east side of King Lear following a ‘reverse parkrun’ route up as far as the picnic field in Watermead Park, and past the toilet block. After the toilet block the route turns left back towards the entrance road to Watermead Park. Upon reaching the entrance road, there will be an approximate 100m out and back section. Runners will turn right and follow the path northwards, before turning back on themselves back down the car park road and following the route as it has run in previous years back to King Lear Lake. At King Lear Lake we’ll turn right and follow the west bank down towards the hump back bridge.
Due to ongoing bridge works in Watermead Park – our second route change for 2025 will see runners run straight past the Humpback bridge, back down to the bottom corner of King Lear Lake. At this point there is a narrow weir bridge which runners will need to run across single file. After the bridge the route will continue down through Watermead Park to the lochs, where it will turn right between the two lakes of Watermead, and then re-join our original route just next to Birstall car park.
The rest of the route remains exactly as per the previous Half Marathon route. We exit Watermead Park into Birstall via Whiles Lane, where there is one of our very few hills to deal with as you run back up to join the main road in Birstall. You are however rewarded with a lovely long gentle downhill that takes you all the way back to the city limits. Reaching Loughborough Road, we then follow wide tarmac paths that run parallel to the canal all the way back to the beautiful Abbey Park – where you will also find our final water station around mile 11.
From here, we will continue through Abbey Park over the bridge next to Morningside Arena, before continuing along Charter Street back to Melton Road. Heading back under the flyover, and up the slip road on Burley’s Way, we’ll turn left onto Abbey Street and then zigzag our way to the Haymarket until we reach our iconic Clocktower. We’ll then run all the way up the main High Street as far as Carts Lane where we’ll turn left down The Lanes until we reach the wonderful St Martin’s. We’ll turn left and follow Hotel St round and go straight up Market Street before joining the wonderfully idyllic New Walk, which is your final hill that will take you all the way back to the finish line at Victoria Park.