Hackney Half Marathon charity places for 2026 | Stroke Association

Friday

• Hackney Quarter brought to you by Friday Night Lights 

Saturday

• Hackney Community 5K
• Hackney Schools' Challenge

Sunday

• Hackney Half Marathon

Hackney Moves Festival

With fitness classes, food spots, free activities and live music, discover the Hackney Moves Festival.

Join an amazing weekend of free, diverse and inclusive fitness, wellbeing, culture and entertainment activities for all the family.

The main stage will host fitness sessions and entertainment from East London's finest group exercise gurus, bands, DJ’s and entertainment acts.

Hackney's House of Fitness tent will be home to a wide variety of fitness activities, offering something for everyone.

There is so much going on in the festival village that you will want to stay all day. From family sports and cultural activations from local clubs and community groups to a wide variety of street food and beverages on offer for some post-activity refuelling. Keep the little ones entertained at the amazing Hackney Playbus, have a family race on the sprint track or simply sit back and soak up the incredible atmosphere at Hackney Moves.

Event HQ

Hackney Marshes
London
Greater London
E9 5PY
UK

The venue

The Hackney Festival village is located on Hackney Marshes, E9 5PF.

• Considered the spiritual home of Sunday League football, Hackney Marshes are inextricably linked with exercise and movement. 
• Easily accessible by public transport, Hackney Marshes are serviced by both overground and Tube links.

Parking

Westfield Stratford City (E20 1EJ): 25-minute walk.

Getting there

London Overground

• Clapton Station | 30-minute walk
• Hackney Wick Station | 20-minute walk
• Homerton Station | 20-minute walk

Train

• Stratford Station | 25-minute walk
• Leyton Station | 20-minute walk

Bus

Local bus services will be running on diversions on event morning. Please check the TFL website for detail.

Cycling

There will be numerous bike parking facilities within the Festival Village. Don’t forget to bring an appropriate cable or chain lock!

Overview

Cruise down Mare Street through a carnival of sound, pass by the famous Town Hall, head through the historic Broadway Market, and then take in Hackney Wick, which is flush with vibrant street art. Explore green spaces including Haggerston and Downs Parks, cross over twelve canals and rivers, and enjoy a panoramic view of the Olympic Park.

Map

Cut off

There is a race cut-off time of 3 hours and 30 minutes for each runner, after which any runners still on the course will be asked to move to the pavements so that roads can be reopened.

As part of your #HackneyHalf entry you'll receive a rewards bundle featuring:

Included

• Finisher t-shirt
• Chip timed results
• Aid stations
• Commemorative medal
• App tracking
• Course entertainment
• Bag drop
• Training support

Hackney Run Club

What better way to get some miles in than with the Hackney Run Club crew?

Whether you’re chasing a PB or just want to enjoy the vibes, these free community runs are a great way to meet your pacers, connect with fellow runners, and ask any last-minute questions to the team.

Every year thousands of runners take part in this event and fundraise for charity. While this is hugely beneficial to the charities it gives the runner advantages too, from supporting a cause that is close to your heart to securing a place in this highly sought-after event and much more.

Benefits of running for charity

Committing to raising money for charity gives you motivation to get outside and run, plus all of these extras which will elevate your event experience:

• Fundraising support

  Charities know that raising money is all part of the challenge, which is why they provide advice, branded materials and a personalised online fundraising page to help the donations roll in. Think videos for social media, branded imagery and testimonials from previous runners.

• Training support

  Whether this is your first run or your fifth, you'll need to train for it! You'll receive an in-depth training plan with guidance, plus many charities have access to expert coaches and elite runners too, who can provide exclusive tips for your race preparation. Experts include Runningwithus, Full Potential and five-time Olympian Jo Pavey!

• Branded running kit

  When you show up on the day, people need to be able to see clearly that you're supporting a charity. Most charities will give you a branded and personalised t-shirt or vest to run in on the big day, and often a training top too.

• Support on the day

  When you're partway through your run and your energy is flagging, what you need is a boost from cheering spectators to keep you moving. Many charities set up a cheer station along the route, keeping an eye out for you to send up a huge cheer as you run past!

• Post-race recovery

  Refreshments and an indulgent post-race sports massage are often provided by charities for their runners. This is the perfect way to recover alongside other people who have run for that cause.

• Exclusive social groups

  You won't be the only person running for that charity, so it's well worth meeting other runners through the charity's invite-only social media pages! You can organise to meet up for training runs, chat with the charity's expert coaches and share tips and stories with each other to keep the motivation levels running high.

Running a half marathon and charity fundraising go hand-in-hand - which charity will you run for?

This was my first Hackney Half. Really enjoyed it, it was a great atmosphere and experience all round. And most importantly running for TeamMonk - raising funds for my good friend Michael Monks cancer treatment. Sarah W

This was the first time I ran Hackney Half. It certainly didn't disappoint in terms of crowd support and music around the course, very on par with my experience of running the London Marathon. Plenty of aid stations providing water in cups, which helped cut down on the plastic waste, and designated rubbish points for them nearby once emptied. There were pacers available if you needed support on the day. Carmen

This is a brilliantly organised, very, very cool race. The support is wonderful from local people and Marshall’s. it’s heavily staffed from start to finish, despite some 22k people competing I felt I  hardly spent any time in a queue. Highly recommend it. Alistair

Brilliant atmosphere, with bands dotted along the short course, and lots of friendly encouraging stewards, volunteers and supporters. My first ever organised run, it was a great experience and I intend to do more! Rebecca

Amazing event. The festival feel they create makes this one really special. The route is one of the best supported I have ran in. Not much elevation. A couple of short sharp hills but nothing terrible. Lots of aid stations and the paramedics were amazing as the heat put a few people out. The atmosphere at the finish line was the best. The medal and t shirt are in my top 3 faves of all my races. If you get the chance, I highly recommend this half. Angela S