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The Course

The course is 5000m (5K) long. This has been accurately measured by us with a professional measuring wheel. The course is in Hackney Marshes, and on a mix of tarmac and grass; some sections of the course do accumulate mud, leaves and puddles after rain. Dependent on availability, marshals will be at key sections of the course, or temporary signs in place.

Please remember that the parkrun uses shared paths. For the continued success of the event, please give way to other park users. This won't hurt your time, it won't stop you from getting a PB and it will make sure everyone continues to to enjoy the event.

Please, wherever possible walk, jog, cycle or use public transport when attending the event. If you do have to drive, please consider car-sharing to reduce our impact on both the environment and other park users.  Please also watch out for other park users when arriving and leaving. Parking is limited so try to arrive early.

Course Safety

The Hackney Marshes parkrun is a fun, free event organised by volunteers for the benefit of everyone. We wish to make the run as safe as possible, so runners, spectators and helpers are asked to take care about the following:

  • Please be considerate to the park and other park users at all times.
  • Please arrive by foot, by pedal-power or by public transport if you can - your efforts help to reduce our impact on the park and the planet.
  • Please consider volunteering to help occasionally - this event survives only because of your generosity - please vist the volunteer page for more information.
  • Take care near roads and car parks - some vehicles drive very quickly. Please congregate away from the cars and be careful in particular if you have children. If you’re driving to the run, please drive carefully even if you’re late!
  • When running, take care on uneven surfaces - whether on grass or on tarmac. Watch out for cyclists, other runners, pedestrians, children, deer, dogs, vehicles, park maintenance work, falling branches, bollards, posts and other obstacles around the course.
  • Runners with dogs are welcome, but please keep dogs on a short lead or harness and under control throughout the event.
  • Runners pushing buggies are also welcome, but please take extreme care of other runners around you. If possible start from the back of the field and try to keep to one side of the main body of runners.
  • Please make sure you’re fit enough to run 5k (3.1 miles) – if you’re in any doubt, please consult your doctor.
  • Remember to warm up before the run.
  • If you see a runner with a serious problem, please stop to help them out and get help as soon as possible.
  • If you’re watching, keep clear of runners on the course, and look after any children and dogs you may have with you.
  • While rare, Lyme Disease is present in areas where deer live, and occasionally passed to human’s through infected ticks. See NHS Choices website for more about Lyme Disease, and how to deal with ticks.
  • This is a free training event, so all run and attend at their own risk.

We hope these tips help to ensure that Hackney Marshes parkrun is fun and safe for everyone.

Age Grading

All parkrun events use Age Grading to help athletes compare results.

Age Grading takes your time and uses the world record time for your sex and age group to produce a score (a percentage). This score allows you to compare your personal performance against other people's performances even though they might be a different age and a different sex to you - the higher the score the better the performance. The scores can also be compared across different run distances - to allow you to, for example, compare a 5km time against a marathon.

For more information, please see the Running For Fitness website.

Course Map


View Hackney Marshes parkrun in a larger map

Getting There

Location of Start

The course starts at the Hackney Marshes Centre in the south east corner of the main marsh, just next to eastern most end of Homerton Road, before the junction with the A12. It is a large and distinctive rust coloured building, with full shower and changing facilities on site. The start line is located next to the football pitches, just outside the western entrance to the Hackney Marshes Centre.

The postcode for finding the Hackney Marches Centre is E9 5PF.

Getting There by Public Transport

The 308, 276, 236 and W15 buses run very close to the start of the course. The closest rail stations are Homerton and Hackney Wick. You can use TfL Journey Planner to plan your journey, using the postcode E9 5PF as your destination.

Getting There on Foot or Bike

The course starts at the Hackney Marshes Centre in the south east corner of the main marsh, just next to just next to eastern most end of Homerton Road, before the junction with the A12. The start is located near the tow path of the River Lea navigation channel so is easy to access on foot from the tow path, or directly across the football fields.

There is plenty of cycle parking on site at the Hackney Marshes Centre.

Getting There by Road

The Hackney Marshes Centre is located on Homerton Road, just west off the A12 and east of Hackney Town Centre. The Centre has plenty of free car and cycle parking on site.

If you are using Sat Nav, the closest postcode is E9 5PF.

Course Description

The course consists of a ‘there and back’ route around Hackney Marshes, following the edge of the main marsh for 2.5km to the turn around point on the path next to the River Lea, and then 2.5 km back on the same route.

The course has spectacular views of the Olympic site and a lovely stretch following the River Lea navigation channel. It is flat course, the vast majority of which is run on tarmac, with the start/finish section located on mown grass.

Post Run Coffee

We are waiting for the new café facilities at the Hackney Marshes Centre to open – once these are operational, we look forward to a post run coffee with you there!