2025 vs 2026 Differences

What’s New for Race Day 2026

The TTP Cambridge Half Marathon returns to Cambridge for 2026, marking its 15th year of welcoming thousands of runners to the city’s streets! Each year athlete feedback through our post event survey, is reviewed, where we identify key elements for change.  As a result of this, we are pleased to introduce a number of changes all aimed at enhancing the race-day experience for athlete, volunteer and spectator experience.

Hydration

Hydration has been a key area of focus for 2026.

Water provision will be increased across the course, with bottled water returning at all drink stations to improve accessibility while running. A fifth water station will also be introduced at mile 12, providing additional support to athletes, during the later stages of the race.

In addition, HIGH5 ZERO electrolyte drink will be available at selected stations, following expert nutritional guidance. Post-finish hydration will also be improved, with runners receiving water before collecting their medal and event mementoes.

Refill stations will continue to be available along the route and within the event village to support athletes that would prefer to use refillable water containers.

You can learn more about this here.

Improved Facilities Along the Route

To support runner convenience throughout the race, toilet provision will be increased both on the event site and along the course, with more frequent access points.

Women’s-only toilets and free sanitary product provision will also return in 2026, following strong positive feedback from athletes last year.

You can learn more about this here.

A Smoother Start Experience

Four start gates will be reintroduced for 2026 to support pacing and flow at the start of the race. We hope runners find this process simpler, enabling them to easily line up alongside others with similar predicted finish times, reducing route congestion.

Alongside audio queues from our commentary team, a 20m large screen will be positioned on the event site to let athletes know what time they should head to their start gate.

Sustainability

Sustainability remains a key focus for the event. While compostable cups helped reduce single-use plastic in previous years, large amounts of feedback indicated that bottled water better supported athlete experience, as it enables athletes to take on more water within a single serving

With the return of bottled water, careful consideration was taken when selecting these options. The bottles that will be available on the event site are made of rPET, with unique segregated recycling bins to support with uncontaminated recycling process, along with a waste disposal commitment that no event waste will go to landfill.  

You can learn more about our sustainability commitment here

New for 2026: On-Course Energy and Entertainment

We’re excited to introduce Tune Trucks sat at selected points along the route to provide additional encouragement as runners progress through the course.

These mobile music points will sit alongside existing charity cheer zones and live performers, helping to maintain atmosphere and motivation We're excited for supporters to enjoy these areas, with an unforgettable atmosphere throughout the day.

New for 2026: The Community Hub

The Community Hub will be introduced at the heart of the event site on Midsummer Common, open to everyone and providing a dedicated space for runners, supporters and volunteers across race weekend.

The Hub will include sign-making for spectators, a community message board, children’s activities, and access to help with common race-day needs such as safety pins or lace issues.

You can read more about the Community Hub here.

Thank You for Your Feedback

We’re grateful to everyone who took the time to complete the post-event survey in 2025. It played a pivotal  role in shaping these event changes and will continue to inform how the event evolves, keeping athlete experience at the centre of all we do.