Chester Marathon

Course & Elevation

Chester Marathon is a road marathon organised by Active Leisure Events that starts at Chester Racecourse, crosses into Wales and returns to finish beside the River Dee. It is held on a Sunday in October, with a 26.2 km Metric Marathon and a Mini Marathon of about one mile on the same day. The start is inside the racecourse, known as the Roodee. Runners head west, then turn into the city centre past the Town Hall, the Cathedral, the medieval Rows, the Eastgate Clock and the Amphitheatre before leaving along Bridge Street and the Old Dee Bridge. The route continues through Eccleston and Pulford, crosses the border into Wales near Lavister and Rossett, makes a small loop through the village of Holt and returns to England at Farndon. The home stretch runs through Churton, Aldford and Huntington, and for the last 8 miles the marathon runners share the road with the Metric Marathon field. The final mile follows the Groves beside the River Dee, and the finish is on Castle Drive, just over half a mile from the start. The organisers describe the route as fast and predominately flat, run on roads with 11 drink stations. The cut-off is 6 hours. The first Chester Marathon was held in 2010 on a different course; the current route has been largely unchanged since 2011.