Drop the finisher top
Royal Parks Half Marathon Finisher T-shirt Opt-Out
Focusing on minimizing the Royal Parks Half Marathon's environmental impact in 2026, participants can opt out of receiving a finisher’s t-shirt.
This year, when you opt out of the finisher t-shirt, you will contribute to enhancing the Serpentine Lake edge, providing habitats for invertebrates, amphibians, fish and birds.
The Royal Parks Half is collaborating with our parks teams to continue the ‘Drop the Finisher Top’ initiative, a conservation project aimed at enriching biodiversity, visitor experience and engagement with nature. Plus, helping the climate resilience and long-term sustainability of the lake.
Your support will play a crucial role in supplying aquatic plants along the Serpentine lake within Hyde Park. The project aims to soften a hard concrete edge of the Serpentine Lake by introducing marginal wetland habitat.
If you choose to support ‘Drop the Finisher Top’ in lieu of receiving a finisher’s t-shirt, you will receive a thank you email upon completion of the race as well as an update on when the marginals are planted in the parks.
Why marginal habitats and wetlands?
Marginal habitats provide safe havens for smaller birds to nest in, aquatic root forests for fish nurseries to shelter in, damp hidden spots for amphibians to hunt in and vegetation for invertebrates to lay their eggs on.
Lake-edge planting provides ecosystem services to the lake, helping to manage temperature, oxygen and nutrient levels for a sustainable aquatic habitat.
The specially selected aquatic plants are UK native and provide key pollen and nectar for a wide range of invertebrate species to thrive on, including moths, dragonflies and damselflies.
Lakeside habitats are not commonly found in central London so these new creations in Hyde Park will provide food and shelter that is essential for connecting habitats, encouraging a wider range of species within the city.
These habitats will grow to be vibrant colour and life-filled spaces that will bring joy to park-users and a chance to learn more about native biodiversity.
The marginal planting will establish over time to become a self-sustaining habitat with little need for human intervention. A natural habitat within a London park.
Our 2024 Snowdrops are blooming
An amazing, 21% of our runners opted out of their top in 2024 which meant we planted over 24,000 snowdrop bulbs and created a wildflower meadow in The Green Park.
