Chester Marathon 10K or Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K — which comes out ahead?

Chester Marathon 10K and Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K split the available advantages, so the better choice depends on which metric matters most to the runner.

Route comparison snapshot

Chester Marathon 10K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.9%
flat grade share
79.5%
lower ascent
60 m
climbing density
6.0 m/km
net elevation
11 m
maximum grade
6.2%

Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K

Mapped route
Held
Elevation profile
Held
course flatness
0.0% Favoured
flat grade share
91.1% Favoured
lower ascent
40 m
climbing density
4.0 m/km
net elevation
-3 m
maximum grade
3.4%
Head-to-head comparison
MetricChester Marathon 10KWilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Flat grade share79.5%91.1%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)0.9%0.0%
Uphill share11.8%4.7%
Steep-up share0.0%0.0%
Downhill share8.7%4.2%
Total ascent (m)60 m40 m
Climbing density (m/km)6.0 m/km4.0 m/km
Longest climb length (m)840 m710 m
Longest climb gain (m)15 m7 m
Longest climb average grade1.8%1.0%
Total descent (m)50 m43 m
Net elevation (m)11 m-3 m
Max absolute grade6.2%3.4%
Start elevation (m)14 m80 m
Finish elevation (m)25 m77 m
Scenic score48/10013/100
Conditions83/10081/100

Only metrics available for at least one side are shown. A ✓ marks the better value for each metric (higher-is-better aware). Scores are out of 100 when available. Ascent, climbing density, max absolute grade and median finish describe course or field context and are not marked as better or worse.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
FactChester Marathon 10KWilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Schedule

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-11 (legacy event-level date).

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-21 (legacy event-level date).

LocationChester, North WestWilmslow, North West
Actual distance10 km10 km
raceindex.org mapped route heldHeldHeld
raceindex.org elevation profile heldHeldHeld
Course typeFast, flat, scenic city centre routeUnavailable
SurfaceUnavailableRoad
TerrainUnavailableRoad
SceneryRiverside, City, Historic, CountrysideCountryside
AtmosphereScenic Tour, CommunityCommunity, Competitive, Charity
Total ascent60 m40 m
Climbing density6.0 m/km4.0 m/km
Total descent50 m43 m
Net elevation11 m-3 m
Max absolute grade6.2%3.4%
Flat grade share79.5%91.1%
GAP factor0.9%0.0%
CutoffUnavailable1:45:00
Entry modelOpenOpen
Measured courseUnavailableYes

Schedule

Chester Marathon 10K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-10-11 (legacy event-level date).

Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K

Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-03-21 (legacy event-level date).

Location

Chester Marathon 10K
Chester, North West
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Wilmslow, North West

Actual distance

Chester Marathon 10K
10 km
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
10 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

Chester Marathon 10K
Held
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Chester Marathon 10K
Held
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Held

Course type

Chester Marathon 10K
Fast, flat, scenic city centre route
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Unavailable

Surface

Chester Marathon 10K
Unavailable
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Road

Terrain

Chester Marathon 10K
Unavailable
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Road

Scenery

Chester Marathon 10K
Riverside, City, Historic, Countryside
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Countryside

Atmosphere

Chester Marathon 10K
Scenic Tour, Community
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Community, Competitive, Charity

Total ascent

Chester Marathon 10K
60 m
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
40 m

Climbing density

Chester Marathon 10K
6.0 m/km
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
4.0 m/km

Total descent

Chester Marathon 10K
50 m
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
43 m

Net elevation

Chester Marathon 10K
11 m
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
-3 m

Max absolute grade

Chester Marathon 10K
6.2%
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
3.4%

Flat grade share

Chester Marathon 10K
79.5%
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
91.1%

GAP factor

Chester Marathon 10K
0.9%
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
0.0%

Cutoff

Chester Marathon 10K
Unavailable
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
1:45:00

Entry model

Chester Marathon 10K
Open
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Open

Measured course

Chester Marathon 10K
Unavailable
Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K
Yes

Facts are shown only when they exist in the sourced race record; Not held means no sourced value is held for that race.

Common questions

Which is flatter, Chester Marathon 10K or Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K?

Wilmslow Half Marathon 10K has the lower GAP factor, making it the flatter course on our route model and more favourable on gradient alone.

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