The 42nd Abingdon Marathon starts at 9am on Sunday 18 October, and it is sold out. Every road closure in Abingdon, Drayton, Milton and Sutton Courtenay.

The Abingdon Marathon is on Sunday 18 October 2026 and the race starts at 9am. Roads start closing at 8.30am and the last restriction lifts at 3pm. The race is based at Tilsley Park on Dunmore Road, and the closures reach well beyond Abingdon into Drayton, Milton and Sutton Courtenay.

Two things people ask first. The 2026 race is sold out, with a waiting list open on the organiser’s site and places still possible through an official transfer. And there is a new course for 2026, so a route you remember from a previous year may not be the route this time.

The closures, hour by hour

Oxfordshire County Council gave notice that on 12 October 2026 it proposes to make the special event order, which takes effect on Sunday 18 October. The schedule below is the council’s own, reference S26-009.

Abingdon, early: 8.30am to 10am

Road Where Restriction
Dunmore Road Tilsley Park entrance north-eastwards to Twelve Acre Drive One-way eastbound closure, westbound traffic permitted
Twelve Acre Drive Including the Dunmore Road, Oxford Road and Twelve Acre Drive roundabout One-way eastbound closure, westbound traffic permitted
Radley Road Twelve Acre Drive junction to Thrupp Lane junction Closed both directions

Abingdon, town centre: 9.15am to 10.30am

Road Where Restriction
Thames View Audlett Drive junction to the council and Waitrose car park entrance Northbound closure, southbound traffic only
Stert Street and High Street The Stert Street, High Street and Bridge Street junction Stop/Go boards
High Street Stert Street junction to West St Helen Street junction Westbound left-hand lane closed, and bus stop A7 suspended

Out of town: 9.15am to 2.30pm

Road Where Restriction Times
Milton Road, Milton Drayton Road junction to the Sutton Road mini roundabout One-way southbound only 9.15am to 1.30pm
Milton Road, Milton Mini roundabout with High Street and Sutton Road Stop/Go boards 9.15am to 1.30pm
Drayton Road, Drayton B4016 at the Milton Road junction Closed both directions immediately east of the junction. Resident traffic westbound only. Eastbound traffic from High Street, Drayton may turn right, south, into Milton Road 9.30am to 2.30pm
Brook Street, Sutton Courtenay B4016 at the Church Street and High Street junction Closed both directions, resident traffic westbound only 9.45am to 2.30pm

Abingdon, late: 11am to 3pm

Road Where Restriction Times
West St Helen Street Lombard Street junction Stop/Go boards 11am to 2.45pm
High Street The signalled crossing at the West St Helen Street junction Stop/Go boards, traffic lights temporarily deactivated 11am to 2.45pm
High Street West St Helen Street junction to Bath Street junction Westbound right-hand lane closed, left-hand lane open 11am to 2.45pm
Northcourt Road East of the Harcourt Way junction Stop/Go boards 11am to 3pm
Dunmore Road B4017 Farm Road junction Stop/Go boards 11.15am to 3pm

The council notes that exemptions are included for access, emergency services and event safety vehicles.

If you need to drive across the town

The council has published the diversions in its notice. For traffic in the Abingdon area:

  • Westbound via Whites Lane, Radley, The Avenue and Kennington Road, Kennington, Hinksey Hill, Foxcombe Road and Fox Lane, Boars Hill, B4017 Wootton Road, to Abingdon Bath Street, Stratton Way, Vineyard, Radley Road and Audlett Drive.
  • Eastbound via Audlett Drive, Radley Road, Vineyard, Stert Street, High Street, Stratton Way, Bath Street, Wootton Road, B4017 Wootton, Fox Lane and Foxcombe Road, Boars Hill, Hinksey Hill, Kennington Road and The Avenue, and Whites Lane, Radley.

For the Milton Road closure, northbound traffic goes via High Street Drayton, High Street Milton, Park Drive, the A4130, the B4017 and Steventon Road back to High Street Drayton. For the Drayton Road and Brook Street closures, eastbound traffic goes via Milton Road, Sutton Road, Milton Road and High Street Sutton Courtenay, and westbound via High Street Sutton Courtenay, Milton Road, Sutton Road, High Street Milton, Park Drive, the A4130, the B4017, Abingdon Road, Steventon Road and High Street Drayton.

Anything else on the road network that day is on our Abingdon roadworks and travel page, and car park tariffs are on the parking page. Note that Sunday is not free everywhere: three of the eight council car parks charge on Sundays.

What is still to come

The organiser’s residents page promises a projected race timings PDF, showing where the lead runners and the tail bikes are expected to be at any given time. As of 5 September 2026 it is marked “coming soon”. That document is the one that tells you how long your particular junction will actually be affected, rather than the outer window in the order, so it is worth waiting for if you live on the course.

Residents with questions can email the race directors at racedirector@abingdonmarathon.org.uk.

The race itself

The Abingdon Marathon was established in 1982 and this is its 42nd edition, which makes it one of the oldest marathons in the country. It is run by the Abingdon Marathon Committee and promoted on the committee’s behalf by Laurie Hurman of Oxford. The race licence number is 30631.

There is a six hour time limit, which the race director may extend by up to 15 minutes at their discretion. The organiser’s own summary of the day is that the marathon takes place “between 9 am and 3 pm”.

One rule for spectators on bikes: the organiser states that the initial part of the course is closed to all traffic, including bicycles, until the runners have passed.

Sources