Corporate Challenge

33rd Annual Corporate and Inter-Schools Road Running Challenge 2025

A unique series of evening road races for all ages and abilities, run around Chichester city centre. Distances range from 1400m for primary school children up to 4.5km for adults. Races start at the Assembly Rooms on North Street

The 2025 race series will be on Wednesdays 5th & 19th March and 2nd April 2025.

You can enter the Corporate Challenge using our online entry form.

Entry to the full series of three races will be £12 for Under-18s and Students and £20 for Seniors, reduced by £2 for runners affiliated to England Athletics. After the first race, entry will be reduced pro-rata.

Conducted under UK Athletics rules. Event license number 28873.

Timetable (for all three evenings)

6:30pm Primary Schools Boys race Year 6 1400m, (2 laps)
6:38pm Primary School Boys race Year 5 1400m, (2 laps)
6:46pm Primary Schools Girls race Year 6 1400m (2 laps)
6:53pm Primary Schools Girls race Year 5 1400m (2 laps)
Please note only Years 5 & 6 are eligible to run

7:00pm Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 Girls race 2100m (3 laps)
7:15pm Years 7 & 8 Boys race 2100m (3 laps) and Years 9 & 10 Boys race 2800m (4 laps)

7:30pm Corporate Challenge “A” race approx. 4500m (4 laps)
7:55pm Corporate Challenge “B” race approx. 4500m (4 laps)

Historic Results

These are our course record holders.

CategoryMaleFemale
SeniorChris Zablocki 2016 – 12m38sZara Hyde 1996 – 14m15s
Year 10Lachlan Wellington 2016 – 8m03sFlorence East 2023 – 6m38s
Year 9Jacob O’Hara 2015 – 8m17sFlorence East 2022 – 6m38s
Year 8Chris West 2003 – 6m27sCharlotte Browning 2001 – 6m32s
Year 7Joe McLarnon 2017 – 6m49sCharlotte Browning 2000 – 6m48s
Year 6Jonah Tildesley 2023 – 4m26sJosie Czura 2012 – 4m36s
Year 5Chris West 2000 – 4m41sPoppy Taylor 2019 – 4m55s

If you want to see how your time stacks up against the best, we also have a longer list of the top 10(ish) performances in each category

The results of almost every Corporate Challenge Race since 1992 are in the Chichester Corporate Challenge Results achive

Race Information

Race Numbers

If you’re new to running races … relax, you’ll be fine. The number goes on the front.

Runners should keep their race numbers (and pins) for all three races. A few will always get forgotten and we will have extras, but we won’t be able to replace them all. Don’t make your own – we need the barcode.

Race numbers can be collected from The Assembly Rooms from 5:30pm on race day

If you enter early enough, you will be able to collect your race number(s) from outside Chichester Festival Theatre between 9:30am and 11am on the Saturday before the first race. That’s the same place as the Chichester Park Run, so you can do your 5k and collect your number afterwards.

Schools and senior team organisers are encouraged to collect their numbers in advance, if at all possible.

Schools

Getting numbers onto 600 young people’s shirts in under an hour is quite a challenge. Schools entering the event can help race night run smoothly by doing a few simple things.

  • Use the online entry system. Contact us if you can’t pay by card – we have a special system.
  • Get your entries in early. We can handle a few entries on the day, but they are a pain.
  • Collect your race numbers in advance.
  • If you can’t collect in advance, send 1 person to get all your numbers from the Assembly Rooms.
  • Pick a rendezvous location for your school and tell everyone where to meet. The area in front of the Assembly Rooms will be crazy busy. Choose a spot on Crane St, East St or down towards the cross.
  • Remind pupils and parents to bring their number for the 2nd and 3rd races

Senior Races

  • The senior Corporate Challenge is split into ‘A’ and ‘B’ races for logistical reasons. If you expect to finish in under 18m15s or your usual 5k time is under 20 minutes then you should run in the ‘A’ race.
  • Team results are based on the fastest times, regardless of whether athletes run in the ‘A’ or ‘B’ race.
  • You do not need to be a member of a team to run. Individuals are welcome to enter.
  • Members of Corporate teams must all be connected to a workplace in a way that passes the Race Director’s sniff test. All work together? Of course. Spouses and partners? No problem. Meet at the school gates every day? Sure. Clients? Why not, within reason. A few mates who run for different clubs? You’re a Sports team.

Parking

  • If you are driving, please use one of the two large car parks in Chichester city centre – the Northgate car park (near the Festival Theatre) and the Cattle Market car park (near the end of East St)
  • Both car parks are a 5-10 minute walk from the start line, but have plenty of space and will allow you an easy getaway. Look at the walk as a chance for a gentle warm-up!
  • The Little London car park is inside the senior race route and exit will be difficult until all the races are over.
  • Baffins Lane and East Pallant may also be affected by our road closures.
  • Please don’t park on the streets near the course. We rely on the goodwill of local residents to put this event on and want to be good neighbours. Taking all their parking spaces doesn’t win us any friends

Other Information

  • The Schools race is for school teams. Please enter using a school name, not an athletics club.
  • The Corporate Challenge is meant to be a fun event, outside the normal competitive running calendar. By tradition, we try to avoid having athletics club names in the results. Have some fun, think of a witty name for your team. Maybe enter your training group under its own name.
  • Team size is unlimited. The fastest 4 count for Senior Men’s/Mixed teams, the fastest 3 for Women’s and School teams.
  • Large teams will be split into A/B/C teams by the organisers, when the results are drawn up. Fastest group in the A team, then the B team, and so on.
  • For large mixed teams we will try to split-out as many all-female teams as possible, because that usually gives more positive results. Let us know if you would prefer to be treated as fully mixed team.
  • The series results for individuals are based on the aggregrate time across all the races for seniors and on the best 2 performances for the schools’ races.
  • The series results for most teams are based on the team’s aggregrate time across all the races. Secondary schools teams are best 2-out-of-3.
  • Sorry, but we aren’t allowed to let competitors use the toilets in the Assembly Rooms. The nearest public toilets are in the Little London Car Park, behind the Assembly Rooms.
  • Competitors may be photographed or videoed, for publicity purposes and to help with recording the results. By entering you are giving your permission.