Remember September as the Half Marathon date

This year’s Butterfield Half Marathon will take place on 26 September following a successful 2020 event, which attracted over 500 finishers despite being postponed by almost three months from the traditional Father’s Day date due to Covid.

That broke a long-running tradition that tied the half marathon, which first took place in 1981, to Father’s Day in June.

Race director Louise Perrio, the Channel Islands record holder for the 13.1-mile distance, now hopes that a September ‘half’ will become a regular fixture.

‘The new date in early September [last year] was, by happy coincidence, also a Father’s Day – in Australia,’ she said.

‘The 2020 event on the new date was a great success and conditions were much more suited to longer distance running than on a hot June day.

‘Moreover, a September half marathon better fits in the race progression which happens at that time of year: those training in hope of autumn marathons can use the “half” as part of their build-up and those who want a summer [track] racing season can do so uninterrupted and still have time to build into the half marathon.

‘It was hoped that a similar date could be used for future editions.’

However, holding this year’s event on Australian Father’s Day would have been at odds with the Guernsey Triathlon Club.

The Tri Club have earmarked 5 September for their biennial Granite Man, a popular endurance challenge consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and half-marathon run.

‘The Guernsey Athletics Club endurance event organisers work closely with the other sports using the roads for competition and we endeavour to arrange our events so as not to clash but even more so to try and positively complement each other,’ Perrio added.

‘Moving the half marathon to a late September date this year retains the potential for more favourable conditions for training and racing such a distance – clement weather to train in but not baking hot on race day.

‘It also allows those training for Granite Man to also factor in the half marathon afterwards, rather than having to choose between two long races in close proximity.’

Like that Granite Man, organisers are currently not accepting overseas entries due to Guernsey’s border situation.

But the coastal 13.1-miler has proved a primarily domestic affair in recent years anyway, with locally-based runners dominating the podium positions.

Entry information is available via the Butterfield Half Marathon Facebook page.