Manchester Marathon
DateApril
LocationGreater Manchester, England, UK
Event typeRoad
DistanceMarathon
Established2012 (12 years ago) (2012)
Official sitewww.manchestermarathon.co.uk
Participants13,380 finishers (2019)[1][2]

The Manchester Marathon is a long-distance running event in Greater Manchester, England. It was known as the Greater Manchester Marathon until the word "Greater" was dropped beginning with the (cancelled) 2020 edition of the race. The most recent marathon was held on 16 April 2023, and finished at Old Trafford Cricket Ground. The race was first held in 2012.[3] It is claimed that the race is the flattest marathon course in the UK, with only 54 metres (177 ft) of elevation.[4] The 2013, 2014 and 2015 Greater Manchester Marathon times have been declared invalid after the course was found to be 380 m (1,250 ft) too short.

History

The first marathon in the Manchester area was run in 1908 and started and finished at the Saracen's Head pub in Warburton, although at this point the run was only 20 mi (32 km). The first marathon to be run over 26 mi and 385 yards (42.195 km) was the race in 1909, which started in Sandbach, Cheshire and finished at the Fallowfield Stadium in Manchester. A marathon has been run along various routes in the Manchester area intermittently throughout the years with various start and finish points.[3] Until 2012, the last marathon to be held in the city was in 2002, with the 10 km (6.2 mi) Great Manchester Run superseding it as the major running event in Manchester.[5]

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all entries automatically remaining valid for 2021, and all registrants given the options of transferring their entry to another runner for a 10 GBP fee or obtaining a refund minus a 5 GBP administration fee.[a][7][8]

Similarly, the 2021 edition of the race, originally scheduled for April, was postponed to 10 October 2021 due to the pandemic.[9][10]

Course

The current course finishes at Old Trafford cricket ground and passes a number of famous Manchester landmarks, including the Old Trafford football ground.[5][11] It works its way through Chorlton, Hulme, Old Trafford, Stretford, Sale, Timperley, Altrincham, Urmston, Salford, and Manchester City Centre.[12]

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 route was subsequently found to be 380 m (1,250 ft) short of the correct distance.[13][14]

From 2020, the route changed to allow the inclusion of a 3 mi (4.8 km) loop through the city centre.[15]

Invalid races

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 Greater Manchester Marathon times have been declared invalid after the course was found to be 380 m (1,250 ft) too short in 2016. Subsequently, UK Athletics do not recognise times from those races. The error was corrected in time for the 2016 marathon. The Association of UK Course Measurers (AUKCM) said an accredited measurer had ridden the course in 2013 but indicated there had been an error in the calibration of the bicycle wheel. Marathon courses are measured out using a bicycle fitted with a counter to calculate distance by the turning of the wheels.[16]

Winners

Key:

   Course record
Ed. Year Date Men's winner Time[b] Women's winner Time[b] Rf.
11 2023 16 Apr Ignas Brasevicius 2:16:27 Naomi Mitchell 02:31:27 [17]
10 2022 3 Apr Jonny Mellor 2:10:46 Becky Briggs 02:29:06 [18]
9 2021 10 Oct Matt Crehan 2:18:26 Anna Bracegirdle 02:40:17 [19][20]
2020 cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic [7]
8 2019 7 Apr Aaron Richmond 2:21:34 Jenny Spink 2:35:19 [21][22]
7 2018 8 Apr Shadrack Tanui 2:21:19 Dani Nimmock 2:38:22 [23]
6 2017 2 Apr Patrick Martin 2:22:37 Georgie Bruinvels 2:37:03 [24]
5 2016 10 Apr Steven Bayton 2:22:34 Kelly Crickmore 2:48:04
4 2015 19 Apr Paul Martelletti 2:17:47 Georgie Bruinvels 2:37:21
3 2014 6 Apr Andi Jones 2:16:59 Emily Wicks 2:38:26
2 2013 28 Apr Dave Norman 2:20:19 Issy Menzies 2:42:24 [25][26]
1 2012 29 Apr Dave Norman 2:24:50 Rebecca Johnson 3:05:26 [25][27]

Prizes

Prizes of equal value are awarded to men and women as follows:[28]

Elite wheelchair athletes

See also

Notes

  1. ^ It had initially been postponed before being cancelled.[6]
  2. ^ a b h:m:s

References

  1. ^ "MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results". Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.
  2. ^ "MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results". Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b Greater Manchester Marathon – Race History
  4. ^ Greater Manchester Marathon website – general information
  5. ^ a b BBC News | First marathon set for Manchester in a decade
  6. ^ "Covid-19 Update".
  7. ^ a b "Manchester Marathon Cancelled".
  8. ^ "Manchester Marathon is cancelled for 2020". 14 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Manchester Marathon Moves to October 2021".
  10. ^ "Manchester Marathon 2021 has been moved to October due to Covid-19". 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020.
  11. ^ Greater Manchester Marathon – General Information
  12. ^ Greater Manchester Marathon – Route Map
  13. ^ "Greater Manchester Marathon course was 380m short, says measuring body". BBC Sport. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  14. ^ Holland, Phil (18 April 2016). "Investigations into course length of Manchester Marathon 2013–2015". Association of UK Course Measurers. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  15. ^ "2020 City Centre Section". Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  16. ^ "Manchester marathon course 380m short". BBC Sport.
  17. ^ "Results".
  18. ^ "Results".
  19. ^ "The Who's Who of our finishers".
  20. ^ "MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results".
  21. ^ "Asics Greater Manchester Marathon 2019". Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  22. ^ "MYLAPS Sporthive Event Results".
  23. ^ "Asics Greater Manchester Marathon results". Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Asics Greater Manchester Marathon results". Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  25. ^ a b Dave Norman at Power of 10
  26. ^ Issy Menzies at Power of 10
  27. ^ Rebecca Johnson at Power of 10
  28. ^ "Elite Entries". Manchester Marathon. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
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