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City of London Mile: course, pace table and race guide

The City of London Mile is a one-mile road race on closed streets in the heart of the Square Mile.

1 mile
Distance
City of London
Where
Summer
Usual time of year
Road
Surface
Dates, entry and prices are set by the event's organiser and change every year, so we do not list them. Events also move date, change hands and occasionally take a year off, so confirm on the organiser's official website that this year's event is going ahead before you build your training around it, and enter only through the organiser or its named entry partner.

The course starts and finishes close to St Paul's Cathedral and loops past the Bank of England. Runners set off in waves grouped by age and ability, from families to elite fields.

A mile is short enough for almost anyone to finish and hard enough to hurt if you race it. Warm up properly, start at a pace you can hold and wind it up from halfway.

Training for it

Give yourself enough weeks to build up gradually: the race day checklist sets out the sessions week by week, and the training plans explains how to pace and fuel the distance. If you have a recent result at a shorter distance, the race time predictor will suggest a realistic target.

In the final week, cut your training right back (see tapering) and work through the race day checklist the night before.

On the day

  • Arrive early. Allow an hour before the start for parking or public transport, baggage, toilets and finding your start pen.
  • Wear your number on your front and do not fold or cover it. If your timing tag is on the back of the number, bending it can stop it reading. See how chip timing works.
  • Start where your pace belongs. Your chip time only begins when you cross the start line, so there is nothing to gain by pushing to the front.
  • Nothing new on race day. Wear shoes and kit you have trained in and eat a breakfast you have tested before a long run.

Staying nearby

Rooms close to the start go early on race weekends, especially for the larger events. Book as soon as your entry is confirmed and check the cancellation terms.

Search hotels in City of London on Booking.com

Finding results

Results are published by the organiser or its timing company, usually on the day of the race. To make sense of a results table, see how to read race results. If you are looking for a time from a past year, how to find old race results lists the places worth checking. This site does not publish individual results.