Run Cheltenham Half Marathon 2027
Sunday, 19 September 2027 · Cheltenham, United Kingdom
On this page
The weekend at a glance
- Your number
- Posted in the weeks before the race. If it hasn't arrived by 16 September, collect it from the Event Village (2026)
- Start
- Cheltenham Racecourse, Evesham Road. The half marathon starts at 9:00, the 10K at 8:20 and the one-mile event at 9:30 (2026)
- Arrive
- At least 60 minutes before your start
- Parking
- At the Racecourse from 7:00. Road closures mean no vehicle movement on the route while they apply
- Finish
- At the Racecourse
- Bag drop
- Free, in the Event Village, at the owner's risk
- Time limit
- 3 hours 30 minutes, counted from the last half marathon start
- Drinks
- Water at 2.2, 3.6, 5.6 and 11.8 miles and an electrolyte drink at 8.3 miles
- Weather
- The last five race mornings ran from 9.8 °C to 19.5 °C at 9:00
- Entering
- General entry for 2027 is closed. The organiser has an interest list for early-bird access to the next sale, and charity places are sold through its charity page
The Cheltenham Half Marathon starts and finishes at Cheltenham Racecourse, and in between it runs on closed roads through the town centre. The organiser calls it one of the UK's most unusual town-centre halfs, and RunABC lists Montpellier, Lansdown and the Honeybourne Line on the way.
The 2027 race is on Sunday 19 September. General entries for 2027 were already closed on the organiser's page in October 2026, with an interest list open for early access and charity places. The 10K and a one-mile event run on the same morning.
The 2027 page gives the date and the finish. The other details here are from the 2026 race, held on 20 September.
Planning the trip? See how In the Running helps make it easier.
Getting to Cheltenham
The Racecourse is on the Evesham Road, on the north-east side of town. Cheltenham Spa is the town's railway station, and the walk from there to the Racecourse entrance is about 5.5 km, over an hour. The organiser's travel page doesn't mention trains or shuttles, so if you come by rail you'll want a taxi, or a bus if it's running. Stagecoach services change on the day because of the closures.
If you drive, parking is at the Racecourse from 7:00. Bike riders use the Southam Lane entrance, where there are racks that aren't watched.
Where to stay in Cheltenham
The start is at the Racecourse, and the course runs through the town and comes back to it. A room by the Racecourse puts the start a short walk away, and a room in the town centre means a taxi or a bus. The organiser asks you to be at the Event Village at least 60 minutes before your start. For a 9:00 start that means arriving by 8:00.
The organiser has closed general entry for 2027, so confirm you have a place before you book a room.
Collecting your number
Your race pack may arrive in more than one delivery; packs are posted in batches. The pack includes your bib with the timing chip, a baggage label, safety pins and the event information. In 2026 the organiser said to collect from the Event Village if it hadn't arrived by 16 September, four days before the race.
Race morning
The half marathon starts at 9:00, the 10K at 8:20 and the Move More Mile at 9:30 (2026). Be in the Event Village at least an hour before your own start. Bag drop is free at the Event Village, though bags are left at your own risk. There are toilets in the Event Village and around the course.
The half marathon is for runners aged 17 or over, and the 10K for 15 or over. The time limit is 3 hours 30 minutes from the last half marathon start.
The 2023 start slipped to almost 9:25, and runners stood in strong sunshine with no shade for half an hour, according to a club report. If September is warm, bring a drink for the wait.
The course
The route leaves the Racecourse, goes through the town and comes back. RunABC lists Montpellier, Lansdown and the Honeybourne Line on the way. In 2024 the course changed, and the lap of the Racecourse at the end was dropped, though the finish is still at the Racecourse grandstand.
The organiser's pages don't give a climb figure. Its route maps page shows the 2026 route as a picture with mile marks and a height graph, and offers no course file to download. Water is at 2.2, 3.6, 5.6 and 11.8 miles, and an electrolyte drink is at 8.3 miles. Finishers get a medal made from recycled zinc and a t-shirt if they chose one.
Where to watch 2026 details
| The Safran Cheer Zone, by Albion Street | It is beside the route at about 5 km (mile 3) and again near 14 km (mile 9), so you see the half marathon runners twice. It is in the town centre, nearer Cheltenham Spa station than the Racecourse is |
|---|---|
| Lansdown Road and the A40 | The route passes 6, 8 and 13 km (miles 4, 5 and 8) on these roads, where the route loops out and back, so runners can come past more than once. The nearest station is Cheltenham Spa, and Stagecoach changes its buses on race day |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | The start, and the finish at 21.1 km (13.1 miles) in front of the Princess Royal Stand, with the route passing Hill Court Road near 19 km (mile 12). Cheltenham Spa is the nearest station, about 5.5 km away |
Weather in Cheltenham in September
The race has been held on a Sunday anywhere from 1 to 21 September. These are the last five race days at the Racecourse, at 9:00 and at 12:00.
| Race day | 9:00 | 12:00 | Wind at 9:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2022 | 19.5 °C | 21.8 °C | 24 km/h |
| 3 September 2023 | 16.9 °C | 21.9 °C | 2 km/h |
| 1 September 2024 | 17.9 °C | 23.3 °C | 14 km/h |
| 21 September 2025 | 9.8 °C | 12.6 °C | 10 km/h |
| 20 September 2026 | 15.4 °C | 17.4 °C | 16 km/h |
The three early-September races started at between 16.9 °C and 19.5 °C and reached 21.8 °C to 23.3 °C by noon. The two later-September races were cooler, at 9.8 °C and 15.4 °C.
Afterwards
Back at the Racecourse, collect your medal and a t-shirt if you chose one. There is entertainment in the Event Village, and your bag is waiting in the bag drop. If you came by train, the walk back to Cheltenham Spa is about 5.5 km.
Other race weekends
Close by, and with guides of their own, are Gloucester Half Marathon and Bath Half Marathon.
The next races with a guide
Sources
| 2027 date, three races, general entry closed, finish at the Racecourse | Run Cheltenham Half Marathon, organiser, 2027 edition |
| Start times, age limits, time limit, race packs, bag drop, parking, arrival, drinks stations, toilets, medal | FAQs, organiser, 2026 edition |
| Closed roads, parking from 7:00, Southam Lane cycle entrance, Stagecoach changes | Travel information and parking, organiser, 2026 edition |
| Town-centre closed-road half, 13.1 miles, start and finish at the Racecourse | Races, organiser, 2026 edition |
| Route past Montpellier, Lansdown and the Honeybourne Line, 2024 course change | Run Cheltenham, RunABC, with the 2024 reports from the CLC Striders and Bourton Roadrunners clubs |
| Late start and heat in 2023 | Race report for the Cheltenham half marathon, Sunday 3 September 2023, CLC Striders running club |
| Past race dates | Race reports and results for 2022 to 2025, RunABC, the CLC Striders club and the organiser's results pages |
| Walking time from the station | OpenStreetMap routing, foot profile, Cheltenham Spa station to the Racecourse entrance, checked on the date above |
| General entries closed for 2027, interest list for early-bird access, charity sign-up | Run Cheltenham, organiser, 2027 edition, checked 4 October 2026 |
| Mile marks, the Safran Cheer Zone, Albion Street, Lansdown Road, Hill Court Road and the water stations | 2026 route map (image), organiser, 2026 edition |
| Race-day weather | Open-Meteo historical weather, at Cheltenham Racecourse, a 9 km grid |
Written from the organiser's published information and the app's own race data, checked on 4 October 2026.
If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.