A big thank you to all our runners who took part last October! If you’d like to join us in 2026 – the next run is on Sunday 11th October.

Whether you consider yourself “not a runner” and find the idea of running 10km daunting, or you want to challenge yourself while supporting a local charity, we have the perfect event for you!

Sunday 11th October will see thousands of people take to the streets of Leicester for the Run Leicester 10K and Half Marathon. We are inviting you to join them and help raise money for Open Hands.

We’d love to have a diverse team, with people of all ages and running abilities taking part. This is a great opportunity to get fit, make friends, and be part of something really special in our city – all while making a difference in the lives of people in need in Leicester!

This year, we are looking to form a team of runners for Open Hands. If each runner raises an average of £200 in sponsorship, we could raise £20,000 for Open Hands together!

Step 1: Register to Run

a) Register for your run with Run Leicester Home – Leicester Half Marathon

b) Let us know you are registered with Run Leicester here:

Step 2: Start your Fundraising

When registration is completed, you can begin your fundraising journey! Read below for our simple set up guide:

• Set up your sponsorship profile: There are many ways to collect sponsorship. Setting up an online fundraising page is an easy way to share your challenge, and a simple way for your world to donate to your cause! We’ve set up a Just Giving campaign specifically for the Run Leicester 10K and Half Marathon, visit Run Leicester 2026 – JustGiving to set up your personal fundraising page linked to ours, which is already optimised with key information about this challenge and our work.
• Share your challenge: Share your fundraising challenge with your friends and family! Remember to tag us @OpenHandsLeics so that we can share your efforts and cheer you on!

If you raise over £50.00 in sponsorship (prior to the end of August) you will be eligible for one of our Open Hands technical T-Shirt’s! 

Step 3: Begin your Training

Whether you are a seasoned runner or lacing up your running shoes for the first time, it’s time to begin training for your run! Here are a few plans you could follow in your training.

RW Beginner 10K Training Plan

RW 14-Week Half Marathon Training Plan

Not running but want to help out: 

Why not become one of our official Run Leicester supporters!

• Sponsor one of our runners
• Help on the day cheering the runners on or helping welcome them back

We’re on hand to answer any questions you have, just get in touch via email (admin@openhandsleicester.org.uk) – we can’t wait to cheer you over the finish line as we celebrate all that we have achieved together!