So you’ve heard about the adidas Manchester Marathon. You know we’re famous for our fast, flat route. You know we’re a pretty friendly bunch and all about those *good vibes*…

But what about what you don’t know? Our history – our people – and the quirks that make us… us?

Kick off your running trainers – it’s time to train your brain on 12 things you might not know about our fantastic event – the Manchester Marathon!

 

1. The first Manchester Marathon was run in 1908, starting and finishing at the Saracen’s Head pub in Warburton in Trafford.

 

2. It was also also the first amateur marathon to use the 26.2-mile marathon distance. After a hiatus it restarted again in 2012 with around 6,000 and is now at 28,000 participants (!)

 

3. Local legend Ron Hill ran the Manchester Marathon many times and was a big supporter of the event. He is also only the second man to beat the 2 hour 10 minute mark.

 

4. We have an event mascot called Manny the Bee! You can’t miss Manny with his lightning-strike yellow body and stripy sweatband. Manny is a nod to the symbolic worker bee of Manchester – an emblem of the city’s strong work ethic and industrial history.

 

5. When entering the adidas Manchester Marathon, you will have the option to enter as a Green Runner, a new eco-friendly option where you can forego your finisher t-shirt and/or medal (we have two different Green Runner options) in favour of donating to support, The Ocean Cleanup. Green runners have a green bib to mark them out from a standard entry (see image below!) Find out more about our Green Runner initiative here.

 

6. Our medical tents house over 300kg of ice for runners to combat sore legs – that’s the equivalent weight of 100 bowling balls or a grizzly bear – ouch!

 

7. The fastest men’s course record was set in 2022 by Johnny Mellor in a rapid 02:10:46, and the fastest female is Becky Briggs (in the same year) in 02:29:04 – a personal best! The wheelchair record is 01:36:57, set by Simon Lawson in 2019.

 

8. With 28,000 people entered this year, that’s a total of 733,600 miles run all together – the equivalent of running from Manchester to Sydney 69 times!

 

9. £1 of every entry goes back into the communities of Greater Manchester through our partners the Trafford Active fund, and we donated over £40,000 during Covid-19 to support local groups during lockdown. Read more about how the most recent funds have been distributed in the community here.

 

10. In 2021 a fireman completed the course in just under eight hours wearing full gear. Check them out in action here!

 

11. The route used to only be based in Trafford but now incorporates the city centre, which has a wicked spectator party-atmosphere!

 

12. This year, our Finisher’s t-shirt has been designed by quirky, local Manchester artist Pete Obsolete. Find out more about the inspiration behind this design and the artist himself here.