Entry through the organiser
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
Running London Borough of Hackney? Do your long runs with the gel you will race on. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
Back to your race planner
Hackney Half
The Hackney Half is a flat course of 21.1 km with 30 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 5 m and its highest 23 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 16 May 2027.
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2027 race
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon · 10K · 5K
- Total climb
- 30 m98 ft
- Highest point 18 m59 ft above lowest
The course
Drag along the profileThe course climbs 30.0 m in total, between a low of 5.0 m at about km 19.6 and a high of 23.0 m at about km 4.5.
Start, finish
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30
0 5 10 15 20 km
0 5 10 13.1 mi
Dashed: bridge
Your 2 gels, at the orange marksFor a 1:55 finish, one every 40 minutes
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
Get them on AmazonAmazon partner link
- Flat, flowing, on closed roads30.0 m of climbing inside a band of 17.9 m, on closed roads.
- The 2026 race sold out in under an hour2026 sold out in under an hour; 2027 entry runs through pre-registration.
- A closed-road morning with 25,000 peopleMore than 25,000 people at Hackney Marshes in 2026; roads closed from 06:30.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 21.1GradientFlat, flowing, on closed roads30.0 m of climbing inside a band of 17.9 m, on closed roads.
The organiser describes a flat, flowing, closed-road course through the heart of Hackney. The road stays between 5.0 m at about km 19.6 and 23.0 m at about km 4.5, a spread of 17.9 m, and the total climb adds up to 30.0 m.
Measured
Whole courseCrowdThe 2026 race sold out in under an hour2026 sold out in under an hour; 2027 entry runs through pre-registration.
The organiser says the 2026 entries sold out in under an hour. For 2027 a runner must either have run in 2026 or pre-register for access, since pre-registering is the only way to receive the link to buy an entry. Entries open in three separate windows, and general entries are sold at a single price for everyone rather than in tiers.
Sourced
Whole courseCrowdA closed-road morning with 25,000 peopleMore than 25,000 people at Hackney Marshes in 2026; roads closed from 06:30.
In its guide to the 2026 race the organiser told runners to arrive at Hackney Marshes at least one hour before their start wave, and said that more than 25,000 people would be heading there on Sunday morning. All roads around the route closed at 06:30, and the guide named Homerton Road as closed ahead of the race.
Sourced
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for London Borough of Hackney, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. London Borough of Hackney stays within 18 m59 ft of height, so they go by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Hackney Half.
