If you're chasing a personal best, the race you pick matters almost as much as your training. These are the flattest, fastest half marathons in our race list, in calendar order.
What makes a course fast
- Little climbing. Every hill costs time, and the downhill never quite pays it back.
- Cool weather. Most runners race best somewhere around 7 to 12°C. Above about 18°C, times slow noticeably.
- A big field. More runners means pacers and people to run with at your speed.
- Few sharp turns. Long straight roads let you settle into a rhythm.
The races
Seville Half MarathonFlat.
Late Jan 2027 (one listing says 24 Jan)Race day 8–16°CSeville, SpainEntry TBC
Granollers Half MarathonOut-and-back near Barcelona, through La Garriga. Gentle rises.
Sun 24 Jan 2027Race day 8–14°CGranollers, SpainOpen
Santa Pola Half MarathonFlat and fast seaside course.
Sun 24 Jan 2027Race day 12–17°CSanta Pola, SpainOpen
Barcelona Half MarathonFlat and fast, Paseo de Picasso to Paseo de Pujades via the seafront and Diagonal.
Sun 14 Feb 2027Race day 9–14°CBarcelona, SpainSold out
Rome-Ostia Half MarathonFlat and fast, from Rome down to the sea at Ostia.
Sun 28 Feb 2027 (one listing says 7 Mar)Race day 9–15°CRome, ItalyEntry TBC
Naples Half MarathonFlat and fast along the seafront, past Vesuvius views.
Sun 21 Feb 2027Race day 10–15°CNaples, ItalyEntry TBC
Verona Half Marathon (Romeo & Giulietta)Flat city course from Piazza Brà.
Sun 14 Feb 2027 (20th edition)Race day 4–10°CVerona, ItalyEntry TBC
Ras Al Khaimah Half MarathonFlat and very fast, one of the quickest halves in the world.
Sat 13 Feb 2027Race day 17–24°CRas Al Khaimah, United Arab EmiratesEntry TBC
Lisbon Half MarathonStarts on the 25 de Abril bridge, then mostly flat along the river.
Sun 7 Mar 2027Race day 12–17°CLisbon, PortugalBallot closed
Málaga Half MarathonFlat, start at Paseo del Parque.
Sun 7 Mar 2027Race day 12–18°CMálaga, SpainEntry TBC
The Hague Half Marathon (CPC Loop)Flat and fast, from the city out to the beach at Scheveningen and back.
Sun 14 Mar 2027Race day 6–10°CThe Hague, NetherlandsOpen
Milan Half Marathon (Stramilano)Flat city loop, start and finish at Piazza Castello.
Sun 21 Mar 2027Race day 7–14°CMilan, ItalyOpen
Bath Half MarathonFlat, traffic-free two-lap course from Royal Victoria Park.
Sun 14 Mar 2027Race day 6–11°CBath, UKEntry TBC
Cambridge Half MarathonFlat, past the colleges and King's College Chapel.
Sun 14 Mar 2027 (not yet confirmed by the organiser)Race day 6–11°CCambridge, UKEntry TBC
Reading Half MarathonMostly flat, finish inside the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Sun 21 Mar 2027Race day 6–11°CReading, UKEntry TBC
Venloop Half MarathonFlat, with famous crowds and music through the town.
Sun 21 Mar 2027Race day 5–11°CVenlo, NetherlandsSold out
NYC Half MarathonBrooklyn over the Manhattan Bridge, through Times Square to Central Park.
Sun 21 Mar 2027Race day 3–10°CNew York, USAEntry TBC
Berlin Half MarathonFlat city loop, start on Straße des 17. Juni near the Brandenburg Gate.
Sun 4 Apr 2027Race day 6–12°CBerlin, GermanyBallot closed
Prague Half MarathonMostly flat, along the Vltava river.
Sat 3 Apr 2027Race day 5–12°CPrague, CzechiaBallot closed
Warsaw Half MarathonFlat, starting from the Poniatowski Bridge.
Sun 4 Apr 2027Race day 5–12°CWarsaw, PolandEntry TBC
Limassol Half MarathonFlat, fast and along the coast.
Sun 4 Apr 2027Race day 16–21°CLimassol, CyprusEntry TBC
Hamburg Half MarathonFlat, finishing with the marathon.
Sun 25 Apr 2027 (Haspa Halbmarathon)Race day 7–14°CHamburg, GermanySold out
Budapest Spring Half MarathonFlat, starting and finishing on Margaret Island, along the Danube.
Sun 11 Apr 2027Race day 10–16°CBudapest, HungaryEntry TBC
Istanbul Half MarathonFlat and fast, along the Golden Horn and the historic peninsula.
Sun 18 Apr 2027 (provisional)Race day 12–18°CIstanbul, TurkeyEntry TBC
Poznań Half MarathonFlat city course (77 m of climbing), start near the International Fair.
Sun 18 Apr 2027Race day 7–14°CPoznań, PolandEntry TBC
Hannover Half MarathonFlat and fast city course.
Sun 11 Apr 2027Race day 7–14°CHanover, GermanyEntry TBC
Edinburgh Half MarathonMostly flat, from the city out to the coast.
Sun 30 May 2027Race day 10–15°CEdinburgh, UKOpen
Bristol Half MarathonMostly flat, along the Avon Gorge under the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Sun 9 May 2027 (one listing says Sat 8 May)Race day 10–16°CBristol, UKEntry TBC
Great Manchester Run Half MarathonFlat city centre course from Portland Street.
Sun 23 May 2027Race day 11–17°CManchester, UKEntry TBC
České Budějovice Half MarathonFlat, through the old town square.
Sat 29 May 2027 (provisional)Race day 12–19°CČeské Budějovice, CzechiaEntry TBC
Olomouc Half MarathonFlat, fast evening race through the historic centre.
Sat 12 Jun 2027Race day 16–23°COlomouc, CzechiaEntry TBC
Chicago 13.1 Half MarathonFlat course along the lakefront.
Sun 6 Jun 2027Race day 16–25°CChicago, USAEntry TBC
Gold Coast Half MarathonFlat and fast along the beachfront.
Sat 3 Jul 2027 (expected, marathon weekend)Race day 12–20°CGold Coast, AustraliaEntry TBC
Copenhagen Half MarathonFlat and fast city course.
Sun 19 Sep 2027Race day 11–16°CCopenhagen, DenmarkBallot closed
The Big HalfTower Bridge to Greenwich, mostly flat.
Sun 5 Sep 2027Race day 14–20°CLondon, UKEntry TBC
Valencia Half MarathonVery flat and fast, one of the quickest halves in the world.
Sun 25 Oct 2026 (2027: usually last Sun of Oct)Race day 15–21°CValencia, SpainEntry TBC
Amsterdam Half MarathonMostly flat through the city and the Amstel river.
Sun 18 Oct 2026 (2027: 3rd Sun of Oct likely)Race day 9–13°CAmsterdam, NetherlandsOpen
Cologne Half MarathonFlat, same course as the marathon, start in Deutz.
Sun 3 Oct 2027 (expected; 2026 was Sun 4 Oct)Race day 9–16°CCologne, GermanyEntry TBC
Cardiff Half MarathonFlat and fast, past Cardiff Castle and over the Cardiff Bay barrage.
Sun 3 Oct 2027Race day 10–15°CCardiff, UKBallot open
Oxford Half MarathonFlat and fast, past the university colleges.
Early-mid Oct 2027 (2026 was Sun 11 Oct)Race day 9–14°COxford, UKEntry TBC
Tokyo Legacy Half MarathonOut from the Olympic Stadium through central Tokyo.
Sun 17 Oct 2027 (expected, mid October)Race day 15–21°CTokyo, JapanEntry TBC
Boulogne-Billancourt Half MarathonFlat and fast, just west of central Paris along the Seine.
Mid Nov 2027 likely (2026 is Sun 15 Nov, sold out)Race day 6–11°CParis, FranceEntry TBC
Lanzarote Half MarathonFlat seafront course from Puerto del Carmen.
Sat 5 Dec 2026 (2027: early Dec likely)Race day 19–23°CLanzarote, SpainOpen
Pacing tip: On a fast course the biggest risk is going off too quickly. Plan your splits with the pace calculator and aim to run the second half slightly faster than the first.
Find the race that suits you
7 questions, about a minute
Race details come from our race database, checked against organisers' sites and race listings in October 2026. Temperatures are typical averages, not forecasts.