Birmingham 2022 Marathon and other road event routes revealed - which will feature road closures

The Commonwealth Games organisers have revealed the routes for four road events which will take place in Birmingham, Warwick and the Black Country.

The announcements are being made in advance of the games starting on July 28 in order for residents to prepare for road closures - these events are also free to watch, no tickets are required.

Athletes from 72 nations and territories will be competing along the routes.

The Marathon will run from Smithfield to Victoria Square on July 30 - the first Saturday of the Games. The event features the men’s marathon, women’s marathon and men’s and women’s T53/ T54 events.

You can see full details of the route below.

It is the first time that Victoria Square has been announced as a venue for the Games. All Commonwealth Games venues have now been revealed.

The other road events are:

The Cycling Road Race which will be held in Warwickshire

The Cycling Time Trial which will start and finish in West Park in Wolverhampton, and the

Triathlon and Para Triathlon events which will be held in and around Sutton Park.

You can see the marathon route map here:

It travels from Smithfield to Edbaston Stadium, Stirchley, Bournville, Selly Oak and Arena Birmingham before finishing in Victoria Square

The course for the marathon has been split into two distinct sections – a southern loop which the athletes must complete twice, followed by a shorter city centre section which will showcase some of Birmingham’s best loved landmarks to millions of TV viewers, as the runners pass Centenary Square, the Jewellery Quarter, St Paul’s Square and St Phillips’s Cathedral, before crossing the finish line in Victoria Square.

You can see the Cycle Road Race Map for Warwickshire here:

This event will see the women complete seven laps of a 16km course, whilst the men will complete ten laps. The course, which starts and finishes at St Nicholas Park, will see the riders cycling past the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick town centre, as well as Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa, the venue for the Birmingham 2022 lawn bowls and para lawn bowls competition.

It travels past Warwick Castle Warwick Race Course and near Warwick Race Course, Victoria Park and St Nicholas Park

You can see the route for the Triathlon in the Black Country here

The mens, womens and para athletes will travel through Sutton Park, Boldmere, Oscott and New Oscott

You can see the Cycling Time Trial Course on August 4 here

Last September it was announced that the Cycling Time Trial would start and finish in West Park in Wolverhampton but it has been revealed that the course for this event, which will be held on Thursday 4 August, will take the cyclists through Dudley, passing the town’s famous castle and zoo, before heading into the county of Staffordshire, with the cyclists then heading back towards Wolverhampton.

It will travel from West Park in Wolverhampton to Sedgley, Dudle, Gospel End Himley and Wombourne

When will full details of the road closures be available?

The Commonwealth Games organisers said community engagement teams from all of the local Birmingham 2022 partners for each event are reaching out to people in each local area, to share all of the information that is currently available.

The added that engagement with residents and business owners in the local area will continue over the next nine months and full details of road closures and traffic management plans are expected to be available in spring 2022.

What have athletes said about the marathon route?

Birmingham based marathon runner, Hayley Carruthers, who is part of England Athletics’ Birmingham Talent Hub and is targeting selection for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said: “The course for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games marathon looks great and it is exciting to find out the exact roads I’ll be running on if I get selected for next summer’s event. “I’m very familiar with parts of the route having taken part in the Great Birmingham Run and the course goes past lots of Birmingham landmarks, so it is a good way to showcase the city.

“It would be fantastic to be selected to represent Team England at a home games, and I’ll be working harder than ever over the next few months to ensure that I am on that start line in Smithfield in nine months’ time.”

What have Birmingham 2022 organisers said about the routes?

Matt Kidson, Director of Sport for Birmingham 2022 said: “We are thrilled to be unveiling our final venue for the Games and it is fitting that Victoria Square has been chosen as the finish area for the Marathon, as it is located right in the heart of the host city for Birmingham 2022.

“We are also pleased to be able to publish all of the courses for our road events. These routes will help to profile some fantastic landmarks from across the region and showcase the West Midlands and Warwickshire to the world.

“Publishing these details with nine months still to go until the Games begin also means that local residents, businesses and other organisations have plenty of time to make plans for when these one-day events are staged in their local area.”

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The Birmingham 2022 road event routes show how local councils and partners are making the Games about much more than the main competition venues and those lucky enough to obtain tickets for them.

“Road events are free-to-view from many locations, and in the case of the Marathon and Triathlon and Para Triathlon, are bringing the sporting action to the neighbourhoods of hundreds of thousands of Birmingham residents.

“As a Proud Host City they also provide us with a fantastic promotional tool to show off many of our districts and landmarks to a global audience, which is an invaluable opportunity we are ready to embrace.”

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