What you need to know about Great South Run 2026

Thousands of runners and spectators are expected in Portsmouth this weekend for the Great South Run.

The 10-mile (16km) race attracts elite runners as well as amateur club athletes and charity fundraisers.

Spectators line the route to cheer the 26,000 runners from the start on Avenue de Caen, through the streets of Portsmouth and Southsea, passing landmarks including HMS Victory and the Spinnaker Tower.

On Saturday, the 5km race starts at 09:00 BST.

Juniors aged 9-15yrs complete a 2.5km route, with the Junior Girls, Wheelchair and Boys' races beginning in waves from 10:28.

The Mini Great South Run for kids aged 3-8 starts at 12:00.

Stars of the hit BBC show Gladiators Montell Douglas (Fire) and Karenjeet Kaur Bains (Athena) will be official race starters on Saturday before welcoming runners back with high fives and photos.

On Sunday, the event site opens at 07:00, with assembly beginning at 09:00.

Olympic Iwan Thomas will take to the podium to officially start the 2026 Great South Run.

The Elite Female start is at 10:15 followed by the Great South Run VI and self-propelled wheelchairs.

The Elite Male race starts at 10:35.

At 11:10 the warm-up starts for the blue, pink and purple waves. Blue and pink start at 11:20 and purple runners start at 11:35.

The fastest runners could be expected to cross the finish line shortly after 11:00.

Park and Ride: Motorists are encouraged to use the city's park and ride service which will operate a dedicated PR4 service to Clarence Pier. Parking at the site, off junction 1 of the M275, will be limited, so passengers are urged to arrive early and travel together.

Parking: The on-site parking on Southsea Common opens from 07:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Payment on arrival. Other council car parks are available, including Southsea Common car park and Seafront Esplanade.

Trains: The nearest stations to the race village and starting line are Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour.

Ferries: Wightlink car ferry services will operate from Portsmouth International Port throughout the Great South Run weekend. Hovertravel services run between Southsea and Ryde and Wightlink's FastCat runs between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head.

Road Closures: A number of road closures will be in place, including the A27 westbound which will be closed from Emsworth (Warblington) to Langstone from Saturday night until Monday morning.

The full list of closures and times is available on the Portsmouth City Council website.

There is always plenty of atmosphere around the streets with drumming groups, bands and DJs pumping out rhythms to keep the runners going.

The route starts on Southsea seafront before heading through Portsmouth Historic Dockyard towards the Gunwharf Quays retail complex.

Victoria Park offers an open space to watch the runners pass the three-mile mark.

Cheer the runners on the home-straight as they pass South Parade Pier.

A live video stream of the race will be shown on a screen truck in the event village. There are picnic benches on Castlefield to wait for friends and relatives to complete the 10 miles.

Full details for participants and spectators can be found on the AJ Bell Great South Run website.