Royal Parks Half Marathon 2026: road closures, route and how to get there

The Oysho Royal Parks Half Marathon takes place on Sunday 11 October 2026. The first runners set off from South Carriage Drive in Hyde Park at 8.45am. Roads inside Hyde Park close from just after midnight, and streets in Westminster are shut from 7am to 12.30pm. The organisers say up to 18,300 runners will raise money for good causes.

Start time and race day timings

The race is due to start at 8.45am, with the final wave expected to go between 9.30am and 9.45am. The event village on South Carriage Drive opens at 7.30am. Bag drop is there too. Anyone can go in, runner or not. There is food and drink, and visitors can meet the event partners and try have-a-go activities.

Runners have four hours from the start of the last wave to finish. The organisers say this works out at roughly 18 minutes 19 seconds per mile. Because the central London roads have fixed reopening times, anyone falling behind that pace may be moved onto the pavement.

Road closures for the Royal Parks Half 2026

Westminster City Council and Transport for London have agreed all the closures in advance. On Sunday 11 October:

• Hyde Park roads: closed from 12.01am on Sunday until 5am on Monday 12 October
• St James’s Park roads: closed from 6am to 6.30pm
• Westminster roads: closed from 7am to 12.30pm

Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens stay open to the public all weekend, although visitors may be sent to different gates on Sunday. Emergency vehicles will be able to cross the route throughout. Drivers are told to plan their journeys ahead and allow extra time.

Cycle path closures

Cycling restrictions begin two days before the race. From 9am on Friday 9 October, the stretch of Cycleway 3 that runs along South Carriage Drive is suspended. For that day only, cyclists are diverted via Rotten Row between West Carriage Drive and Hyde Park Corner.

The Cycleway 3 suspension on South Carriage Drive continues on Saturday 10 October. The cycle paths on Serpentine Road and Rotten Row are also suspended that day, as is the one on The Broad Walk, and cycling on Albert Approach Road in Kensington Gardens stops. On race day every cycle path in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens is suspended, and Cycleway 3 is also closed through The Green Park and St James’s Park. Accessible parking bays in Kensington Gardens are suspended on Sunday too.

On Saturday 10 October the RBC Race for the Kids, a family fun run over 2km and 5km, stays entirely inside Hyde Park. It starts on the closed section of South Carriage Drive, so expect busier paths that day.

The route

The course is a single 13.1 mile lap on closed roads. It begins in Hyde Park and ends in Kensington Gardens, with the finish line set in front of the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall. Along the way runners pass through four of London’s eight Royal Parks. The route goes by two royal palaces, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, as well as Horse Guards Parade and the Houses of Parliament. Runners also cover The Mall twice.

The organisers describe the course as generally flat with a few gentle rises. Water stations are planned at miles 3.5, 6.5, 9.5 and 11, though the positions may change. Serpentine Road is billed as the loudest stretch for supporters. After finishing, runners walk back to the event village to pick up their bags and meet friends.

Which Tube stations to use

TfL has engineering works planned on the Circle and District lines across the whole race weekend. The Circle line is affected between Edgware Road and Aldgate via Victoria. On the District line the works reach west from Tower Hill and Edgware Road towards Richmond and Wimbledon, and also take in the branches to Ealing Broadway and Kensington (Olympia). The organisers urge runners and supporters to leave plenty of time to reach South Carriage Drive.

Approximate walking times from the nearest stations to the event village and start:

• Knightsbridge, Piccadilly line: about 12 minutes
• Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly line: about 15 minutes
• Green Park, Victoria line (step-free) or Jubilee line: about 20 minutes
• South Kensington, Piccadilly line: about 20 minutes
• Victoria, Victoria line: about 25 minutes (step-free)
• Marble Arch and Lancaster Gate, Central line: about 25 minutes
• Bond Street, on the Elizabeth line as well as the Central and Jubilee lines: about 35 minutes (step-free)

The organisers have published walking guide videos from several of these stations, including a step-free route from Green Park. The what3words location for the event village is guard.tape.coach.

Tips for spectators and runners

Supporters can sign up through a spectator link that runners share with them, and will then be emailed race day details. An accessibility guide is available to download from the official site.

Race packs are posted to runners in the UK. Runners who live outside the UK do not have their packs posted and must collect them. Anyone whose pack had not arrived by 5pm on Tuesday 6 October needs to fill in the replacement pack form, then collect a replacement. Collection is at Marathon House, 190 Great Dover Street, SE1 4YB, from 12pm to 7pm on Friday 9 October, or at the information tent in the event village from 8.30am to 2pm on Saturday 10 October. There are no showers or changing facilities at the finish, and energy gels are not handed out on the course.

Sources

Facts in this guide were checked against these official pages on 4 October 2026. Times, closures and arrangements can change, so check the organiser and TfL before you set off.

• Road closures (royalparkshalf.com)
• Frequently Asked Questions (royalparkshalf.com)
• The route (royalparkshalf.com)
• Runner Information (royalparkshalf.com)