Thousands descend on the capital for The Big Half running festival

More than 16,000 participants united in celebration of London’s diverse communities, as The Big Half festival of running returned to the capital.

In a show of collective spirit, The Big Half 2024 highlighted the communities of the boroughs in which it runs through – Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Southwark and Greenwich – as the event celebrated its seventh edition on Sunday, 1 September.

Hugh Brasher, The Big Half Event Lead, said: “The Big Half has always been a celebration of the vibrant diversity of our capital city, and it has been wonderful to see this on display today. 

“The event is about bringing people together and we’ve seen more than 16,000 people cross the Finish Line on what has been a fantastic sunny day in London. The sense of community spirit is a really special part of The Big Half and it’s been a joy to see the unity of London’s communities shine through today.” 

Among the famous faces to take part included Dame Kelly Holmes and Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Kitty Scott-Claus.

Dame Kelly Holmes, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her historic double gold medal-winning success at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said: “It was a great event and I can understand why so many people love doing it. I felt the community vibe, I could see it on the course and feel it from the roadside. People run together and encourage each other and there is so much colour all around.”

Among the running crews taking part in The Big Half today was The Running Charity, which supports young homeless people and was the inspiration behind this year’s long-sleeved finisher T-shirt and medal.  

Young people the charity has supported worked together to design the finisher items that participants received after crossing the iconic Finish Line by the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. 

As well as The Big Half, participants also took part in The New Balance Big Relay, which saw teams of four split the half-marathon distance into roughly 5K sections, and The Big Mile, a family-friendly event in the heart of Greenwich.