It was two days before the 2025 TTP Cambridge Half Marathon, when a collision in a college mixed netball match left me sprawled on the floor with a sprained ankle and no hope of racing that weekend. After watching more than 13,500 runners raise around £1 million for good causes, I made a quiet promise to be one of those finishers next year. Fast-forward to this term, and Cambridge’s cobbled streets are alive with runners, sprinting down King’s Parade or rambling through Coton Countryside Reserve. With the sold-out 2026 race on the 8th March fast approaching, I spoke to Martha, Grace, Corey, Pooja and Keane, all runners preparing for this challenge, rediscovering a love of running and cultivating the discipline it takes to cross that finish line.

After completing the Half last year, Martha is returning to the start line. The race holds a special place in her heart, where running through the colleges “really helped me fall in love with the city”. Despite nerves about repeating the challenging race, she reminds herself “how good I felt after it last time,” especially after crossing the finish line to see “loads of people happy, relieved and celebrating”.

The roads overflow with supporters waving funky signs from ‘Hot Girls Run Halfs’ to ‘On a Scale 1-10 you’re a 13.1! ’ Inspired by this electric atmosphere, Grace has signed up for the 2026 event, saying it “would be a great place to run my first ever race!” Both Grace and Corey have friends and family down to cheer on the runners as they face the daunting 21.1km distance. Ultimately, her aim is to cross that finish line, in whatever time it takes!

“Running through the colleges really helped me fall in love with the city”

This term’s socialising has shifted from coffee catch-ups to a long-run natter. From kudos on Strava and a Saturday morning parkrun to the Cambridge Run Club collective’s 10-week training program, the sense of community around running is hard to miss. Clare has a social run club every Sunday morning, which is a great chance for Corey to unwind and catch up with friends over a staple of brunch afterwards.

The viral Franco Manca Map My Pizza Run added energy to training this January. When 1km equates to £1, many runners are hitting new distance goals, and Grace remarks that this motivated her to “get up to some longer distances I’d never run before.” I too benefitted from a delicious free pizza after a long, gruelling run, while Martha says her Pizza Runs have provided the chance to run more interesting routes and added a “whole new social dynamic to running”.

Martha has “found loads of friends through running” while also “developing existing friendships”. A regular parkrunner, she commits to the weekly trek to Eddington for the 9am start, often followed by brunch with course and college friends. Grace also enjoys the occasional parkrun, although sometimes finds it daunting running with friends “because I run so slowly!” Training alone can be a great way to avoid comparison culture and discover a more personal love of running. Keane similarly prefers solo runs, down streets among “a lot more runners this term, especially down the stretch towards Trumpington Street”.

“Training is not always sunshine and rainbows, especially during long winter evenings”

“I’ve had to sacrifice my Saturday morning lie-in for a morning run,” Grace laughs, noting the changes running makes to her routine now. Keane finds running offers a counterbalance to “unwind after a day of work and the hectic Cambridge termtime lifestyle,” while providing distraction from tasks “like my dissertation!” For Pooja, balancing training with a Computer Science degree has “definitely been challenging,” but echoes the stress relief which running provides.

Training is not always sunshine and rainbows, especially during long winter evenings with deadlines constantly looming. Although the Cambridge weather has sometimes “dampened both the paths and spirits,” Corey has found his early morning runs “really rewarding” and a great way to find routine during finals. Martha admits balancing work and running can be difficult due to time and exhaustion. Grace has found running improves her focus, but adds that an exhausting long run can also be a “good excuse for a midday nap”. Running through Grantchester meadows, with the sun glinting off the river and the gentle breeze waving through the willows, is a runner’s favourite, and Corey and Pooja comment that it’s a view they’ll never get tired of.

Strava’s kudos culture can heighten pressure, where a misrecorded or slow run leads you to question whether it was even worth it. The Half has provided a broader perspective than this, encouraging runners to support causes that are meaningful to them. For Keane, who has faced mental health struggles in recent years, running for a local branch of Mind was a cause he was “deeply passionate about,” helping raise awareness of their vital work which ensures nobody faces mental health battles alone.

“The Half has provided a broader perspective… encouraging runners to support causes that are meaningful to them”

Corey is running for Alzheimer’s Research UK, having watched his Nana suffer with dementia for over 10 years, before passing away recently over Christmas. It has been a “huge honour” for him to be able to raise over £1000 for the charity from family and friends, both at home and here in Cambridge.

Pooja meanwhile will be sporting the signature purple top of Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre (CRCC), a cause she cares deeply about. Commenting on the stigma and silence around the topic of sexual assault and rape, the work of CRCC is incredibly vital, but can be be shied away from compared to more “palatable” or traditional causes. The charity has been incredibly supportive, offering runners a Team CRCC WhatsApp group, and have raised over £13,000 from their runners.

The countdown to 8th March is on, and as I run with aching legs and blistered feet, I hope and pray netball will not be my downfall again! After more than a decade, this historic race has clearly inspired, and will continue to inspire runners throughout the city and beyond. Martha, Keane, Corey, Pooja and Grace will cross the finish line to join more than 95,000 finishers who have run in one of Cambridge’s biggest sporting events. Grace concludes that her training has “really shifted my perspective on running and has made it so much less daunting to get out and go for a run,” and Pooja adds with a smile, “I’ll definitely keep running afterwards!” but will at least “take a week off!”