THE BIG HALF: HOW LONDON’S RUNNING COMMUNITY IS CHANGING WHO GETS TO RUN

Yesterday, thousands of runners took to the streets of London for the 2026 Big Half — but beyond the 13.1 miles, the event offered something bigger: a snapshot of the communities that make London what it is.

A record 17,876 people completed this year’s race, making it the biggest Big Half yet. More importantly, 37% of participants came from ethnically diverse communities, while almost 500 community groups took part, highlighting the growing role of grassroots running communities in bringing new people into the sport.

And that diversity doesn’t happen by accident.

Across London, a new generation of running clubs and collectives are helping to challenge the idea of what a “runner” looks like. Groups such as REP Runners, Bloodlines, Acre Palm and Roll & Run are creating spaces where people from different backgrounds, ages and abilities can come together through running.

For many people of colour, joining a running club can be about much more than getting fit. It can be about finding community, seeing people who look like you on the start line and discovering that running is a space where you belong.

REP Runners, founded in Deptford, has become one of London’s most recognisable run communities, bringing people together through a shared love of running. This year, more than 150 REP Runners took part in the Big Half, while the community also designed the event’s finisher medal and T-shirt.

Meanwhile, Bloodlines brought another important conversation into the event, using the Big Half to encourage more young Black people to discover their blood type and consider becoming blood donors.

This is what makes London’s running scene so interesting right now. The traditional image of running is being replaced by something much more representative of the city itself — social, multicultural, community-led and increasingly accessible.

The Big Half’s route through Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich made that particularly visible, bringing running directly into some of London’s most diverse communities.

From running crews to charity teams, first-timers to seasoned athletes, yesterday’s race was a reminder that there isn’t one way to be a runner.

There’s a place for everyone on the start line.

And perhaps that’s the most important race being run in London right now: making sure more people feel like they belong in the first place.

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