We decided to do something unique when it came to our 2023 finisher t-shirt.

We wanted something to celebrate our amazing home, as well as capturing what the Manchester Marathon means to those who complete it.

This year’s finisher t-shirt has been designed by the very talented Pete Obsolete, a hand-drawn illustrator known for his doodles, paintings and rapping(!). Pete’s design bursts with energy, showcasing the amazing culture of Manchester. As the world’s friendliest marathon, the design showcases the community feel of both the 26.2 mile challenge and our home.

We spoke to Pete to find out a little bit more about his thought process.

“I am a very human-focussed artist, and base everything, including my alter-ego name of Pete Obsolete, on the idea of ‘hand-made’ and seeing the human touch in any and all work I produce.  Manchester is my second home-town. Born and raised in Nottingham, but welcomed and supported as an artist in Manchester, I found my artistic self in this incredible city.

This city fuels everything I’ve ever done as Obsolete. The people, the music, the art, the streets, all inspire me to make art, as well as how I speak, my hobbies now, how I treat other people and how I hold myself. There’s a magic here, and it’s an industrial, experimental magic that seems to radiate from the architecture, the cultures and the insane diversity of its citizens.”

We look forward to handing 20,000+ finishers this piece of art as they complete the Manchester Marathon on Sunday 16 April. 2407 of our participants have decided they don’t need a t-shirt this time as part of our Green Runner initiative, with the money saved on production instead going towards The Ocean Cleanup.

 

For the avoidance of doubt these are not adidas t-shirts, but are great quality, and will sport the Manchester Marathon logo (and the fact you have completed the 2023 event) as part of the design.