Earlybird Aged 16 & over
£7.99
Earlybird Children
£5.50
Minimum fundraising target
£50.00
Date
Sunday 24 May 2026
Time
09:00
Venue
Chester Racecourse
Join today for a 2026 event to get our lowest entry fees. Available until 23:59 on 31 October 2025
Life is worth Racing for. Enter Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life and raise money for life-saving cancer research.
The 5k is an achievable distance and a good first challenge for most people. At just over 3 miles it can take about an hour to walk on average, but there's no pressure to finish in a certain time. Go at your own pace to help fund life-saving cancer research.
Chester is known for its well-preserved Roman walls, Tudor-style buildings, and the unique two-tiered Rows shopping galleries. The city boasts iconic landmarks like Chester Cathedral, the Eastgate Clock, the Roman Amphitheatre, and the picturesque River Dee. This 5KM course takes in all these landmarks. It is predominately on road, with the first 200m and last 500m on grass. There are some elevation changes, with one particularly steep descent towards the end of the course.
You can take part in any Race for Life event as an individual or a group to raise money for life-saving research. Walk, jog or run together in a group or go solo at your own pace, or lead the way as a Group Leader and get family, friends and colleagues involved! However you choose to take part, you’re helping to beat cancer.
Shake off any pre-Race nerves and get moving with our fun warm-up session just before your event.
Bring along as many supporters as you like to cheer you on! We’ve got things for everyone to do, check out the Location section above to see what’s happening on the day.
After you've completed the course, stay on and celebrate with other participants, friends and family with a picnic in the park.
10m
More than 10 million of you have taken part in Race for Life events since 1994, fundraising for Cancer Research UK.
£970m
Race for Life has raised over £970 million towards life-saving cancer research since it began 30 years ago.
130,000+
With your money, we've helped develop radiotherapy, which helps 130,000+ people with cancer in the UK every year.
Once you sign up for your Race for Life event, you'll receive an email with all the need-to-know details to help you feel fully prepared for the day.
The event site is located on the centre field of Chester Racecourse.
If using what3words, enter ///skip.single.wooden in the free app, to find the exact starting point.
By car:
General Event Parking: Parking is available on site until the roads close at 8.30am. Parking is free of charge.
Drop Offs: Drop off is allowed at the racecourse until 8.30am when the road closures are put in place.
Blue Badge Parking: Parking is available on site until the roads close at 8.30am. From the car park, it is around 50m to the event site over uneven grass. Parking is free of charge.
Volunteer Parking: Parking is available on site until the roads close at 8.30am. Parking is free of charge.
Electric Charging points: There are none available at this event.
Public transport and pedestrians:
Pedestrians: The closest entrance to the event site is via New Crane Street. You can also access the racecourse via the riverside footpath from the Little Roodee car park.
Bus: Buses are available that stop outside the racecourse, however they will be affected due to the road closures. Check the timetables online for further information.
Train: Chester Railway Station is 1.1 miles from the event site.
Cycling & Bike Racks: There are none available at this event.
Refreshments
Toilets
Dogs allowed
Parking
Bag drop
Showers
Not suitable for pushchairs
Not wheelchair accessible
We aim to provide our supporters with as much information as possible so that they can make an informed choice based on their own specific needs.
We have assessed this route and concluded it is not wheelchair accessible due to the elevation changes and grass sections.
A nearby accessible 5k event is Delamere Forest.
We aim for maximum accessibility at our events. Our contact centre and on-site team are ready to assist with any needs or questions you may have.
Sunflower lanyards are available at the enquiries marquee, and our Event Managers are trained Dementia Friends.
Your entry fee covers the cost of your event, but your fundraising helps us save and improve lives. Join the celebration, join the family, and join the thousands helping to raise the money we need to power Cancer Research UK’s biggest discoveries.
When you sign up to an event, you'll get fundraising support every step of the way. Get top tips, ideas and resources to help you hit your target and raise as much money as possible for life-saving cancer research.
Choose a training plan to help you get Race for Life ready. You could even use Strava or Fitbit to track your walk, jog or run.
Once you've signed up, join the Race for Life Super Supporters Facebook group to help you get motivated!
