A flat, closed-road 5K on the Great Eastern weekend, starting before the half marathon.
01 Know what you are taking on
What is the race like?
Official maps & course details
Use the organiser’s map for the full route and your allocated start.
02 Choose your approach
Find your race strategy.
Choose your goal. These are our pacing suggestions, based on the published course, rather than organiser instructions.
My first finish
Settle into your own effort before following the crowd.
Allow time for the 09:00 start; the half marathon starts later.
Use your own progress, rather than somebody else’s pace, to judge the day.
A PB or time goal
Give the opening kilometre time to settle.
Use a repeatable pace cue and avoid extra weaving.
Increase effort late if your breathing and legs still support it.
03 Know what is on the course
Drinks, fuel & toilets.
- Water
- Bottled water at the finish; the provider does not list an on-course 5K station.
Toilet locations: a confirmed location list is not available here. Check the official course or runner map before race day; a drinks table does not automatically mean there is a toilet beside it.
Know your stops
Find the start-area toilets before joining your wave. If you use an on-course station, look ahead, move predictably and leave room for other runners before slowing. Check whether the drink is in cups or bottles so it feels familiar.
04 Before the start
Your race morning.
Times are local to the event. Work back from your own wave, allowing for the walk, toilets and bag drop.
The start
Start time
09:00 on 10 October 2027.
Finish window
Time limit
1 hour.
Start & finish access
- Event village
- Embankment event village opens at 08:00.
Your allocated wave, event emails and final runner instructions take priority. Read the guide for your distance before travelling.
05 Make the day work together
Supporters & getting around.
Plan your support
Keep the first support plan simple: an Embankment cheer and a separate reunion after the runner has cleared the finish. Use the final road-closure and parking information before driving.
The places below are viewing ideas from the linked route or spectator guide. Use your edition’s access map for barriers, permitted crossings and any crew restrictions.
Embankment start / finish area
Use the final event-village access map to pick your side of the barriers. Agree a reunion after the finish exit.
2027 event information
Official spectator or route informationMake the cheer easy to find
Agree a named point, the side of the road and your likely arrival window. Share your bib number for official tracking. Pick a separate reunion beyond the finish exit and a backup if the phone signal is poor.
Getting there and getting home
- Start and finish
- The Embankment, Peterborough. Allow for city-centre road closures.2027
06 Before you book
Entry, fees & time limits.
The organiser says entries for the 2027 event are open. Choose the correct distance on its linked registration provider.
Check official entry optionsWhat you need to enter
Check the organiser’s current age, eligibility and documentation rules before booking. These requirements have not yet been confirmed for this edition.
Read the entry rules- Entry fee
- £22.90 including the admin fee on the linked provider.
Transfers, refunds & deferrals
- Transfers
- Transfers are listed until 23:59 on 26 September 2027; do not hand over a number outside the official process.
Can you finish inside the time limit?
- Time limit
- 1 hour.
Stay in the loop
Email me event updates.
Spend more time training and less time checking. Get the key updates for your race, straight to your inbox.
07 Make your training relevant
Practise for this course.
One thing to rehearse
Try the breakfast, shoes and cup drinking you intend to use, then rehearse a patient opening kilometre.
08 Put your plan together
Useful before race day.
Plan your pre-run fuel
Explore meals and snacks around the time you have before running.
Explore the fuel plannerMake faster running more purposeful
Explore the balance of easy running, quality sessions and recovery.
Read the guideKnow what each session is for
Make sense of easy runs, tempo running, intervals and long runs.
Read the guideA plan that fits your life.
Running, strength or both, with feedback and adjustments as your training develops.
Official race information
Use the organiser’s information for current entry terms, the published route and your final runner instructions. Course resources show their edition where it is known. Pacing and training suggestions are The Runner’s Journal’s guidance and should fit your experience, health and conditions.