Runners looking determined and tired compete in the Chester Half Marathon, while one woman at the front raises her arms and smiles

Essar Chester Half Marathon

The Chester Half is one of the UK’s longest established and most highly regarded half marathons, starting and finishing in the historic Roman and mediaeval city of Chester.

Event details

Date: 18 May 2025

Location: Chester

Distance: Half marathon

Registration fee: £25

Fundraising pledge: £150

Minimum age: You have to be over the age of 18 to take part in this event.

Closing date for applications is 26 March 2025.

Participants racing with determination on their faces along a road with cheering onlookers at the Chester Half Marathon

Running for #TeamCanal

Whichever way you choose to fundraise for us, we’ll support you every step of the way with:

our fundraising pack full of ideas, inspiration and resources to help you smash your fundraising goal
we’ll send you a free technical running vest when you reach £100 of your fundraising target
support via emails to make sure you're in the know with everything to help make your event and fundraising journey a success
most importantly we'll provide you with a reason to keep going because you'll know that you're helping to #KeepCanalsAlive and make sure our canals are here for future generations

Woman running with her arms raised, wearing a 'Canal & River Trust' vest

We ask you to pledge to fundraise a minimum of £150

Your impact

By fundraising for us you're helping to #KeepCanalsAlive.

From helping us fight plastic pollution to protecting the future of our historic 2,000-mile-long network, the money you raise will do so much for our canals and rivers, for the communities who enjoy them and for the wildlife that depends on them.

Together, we can make life better by water.

£250 keeps canals vibrant

Your fundraising could be used to install a Kingfisher nesting box, or plant eight cherry trees or fruit trees, providing environments for and allowing wildlife across our network to flourish.

Two Canal & River Trust volunteers carry litter pickers and bags full of rubbish along the towpath

£500 keeps canals clean

The money you raise could fund 50 litter pickers, helping to remove the 14 million pieces of plastic that get into our canals and rivers each year, preserving the natural beauty of the waterways.

£1,000 keeps canals alive

Your fundraising could help create 30m of canalside water vole habitats to provide much needed shelter for this fascinating waterway mammal, whose population has fallen by 95% since the 1970s.

Ready to join?

Get in touch

If you have a question or would like to chat about joining us for this event, just get in touch – we'll be happy to help! Email us at [email protected].