If you have a loved one taking part this year and want to know how best to support them and the event, then check out the information below. Whether you’re watching from home or will be joining us on the day we’ve got you covered.
Use this page to plan your day and make the most of the electric atmosphere in Greater Manchester. Find out about the best places to watch participants; get spectating tips and advice and you can also use our interactive Supporter Maps to plan your own route and see what each area on the route has to offer.
To make sure you have the best experience cheering on our 36,000 incredible participants, remember to head straight out onto the course at the start of the day. We don’t recommend going to the start line as there are so many better places to see your participant out on the route.
Use the interactive map below to see our top supporter locations. Click on each of our highlighted points along the route to see why these are the best places to watch. with highlighted top areas along the route to spectate. Use the direction arrow button whilst on your phone to find out how to get there.
Our top 6 places to spectate and why!
1. Deansgate Interchange
This will be hub of supporter activity with a dedicated zone for supporters to cheer their runners just after the one mile point. Exact details to follow shortly.
2. Hulme
With quick access to the city centre and finish line you can catch your participant twice here. With viewing for those around 2 miles in and then again at around 24 miles. Hulme also offers some choice in terms of refreshments with the quaint Café Sorrel and the more lively Kim’s Kitchen and Bar.
3. Stretford
Stretford is the home of Old Trafford and has a fast-growing reputation as a foodie hub. Spectators can see runners between mile 9 and 10 in Stretford and also near mile 23. Stretford Food Hall is a great spot for a casual lunch, while Stretford Canteen has been shortlisted for the Manchester Food and Drinks Festival Award Shortlist recently. It’s also great for a post-lunch stroll along the Bridgewater Canal!
4. Sale
Sale and neighbouring Sale Moor is a friendly community full of lively local support. Runners pass through Broad Road in Sale Moor between mile 18 and 19 of the course - when fatigue is likely to have set in. Sale strikes a charming balance of both city and countryside, situated slightly further out from the bustle of the centre.
5. Altrincham
Altrincham is the southernmost point on the course where the runners turn between 12 and 13 miles. There’ll be loads of support in this lively market town, including various bands, choirs and cheer stations. With loads of great places to eat and drink the lovely town is one not to be missed.
6. Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a leafy suburb known for its independent shops and coffee houses. The atmosphere here will be truly electric on event day, as participants push into the final effort of the challenge between miles 22 and 23.
City Centre
- Starting at the Deansgate Interchange Supporter Zone you will make your way up Deansgate until you reach Peter Street where you will turn right.
- Here you will find the adidas Manchester Marathon store. Located at Impossible, Manchester, there will be lots to do and explore.
- Once you finished at the adidas store you will make your way down Peter Street and into Oxford Road.
- Carry on until you reach the university section. Here you will see the finish line of the event and participants making their way through the finish area.
Hulme
- Start at the intersection between Stretford Road and Chorlton Road. Here you will see runners both just starting their journey and those nearing the end.
- Walk East along Streford road with runners passing on your right hand side. Keep going until you reach Royce Road.
- You will see a path that diagonally intersects the park in front of you. Head down the path until reach the Brooks Building. It will be impossible to miss this glass fronted University lecture hall.
- You can spend some time here enjoying the greenery, or if you want to continue take a right hand turn leading you to the South-West corner exit of the park.
- Once you reach the park exit take a left down Old Birley Street. After 50 metres you will see Kim's Café on your left. Another 50 metres you will see another potential food stop off, Café Sorrel.
- Adjacent to Café Sorrel is the Hulme Garden Centre. Feel to free to have nosy round!
- Alternatively, carry on and turn right on Chichester Road. Take another right on Bold Street and follow the road round.
- Keep going until you reach a small car park, turn left here and make your way into Merlin's Park. Wander round this pleasant green area or continue West until you reach the main road where you will see thousands of runners heading north as they approach mile 24.
- Head north with the runners on your left until the reach the intersection where you started.
Stretford
- Start outside Stretford tram station and walk towards the A56 and A5145 junction where you can see runners at mile 9.5 and mile 23 of the course.
- You can stay and see your runner twice (go to Stretford Mall for great food options like the award-winning Stretford Canteen while you wait for the second sighting on Edge Lane) or go for a walk to Stretford Meadows which is a 20-30 minute walk away.
- To get to Stretford Meadows, follow the route on Chester Road and continue just past the junctions. Here, turn right down Poplar Road and continue all the way down this residential road until you reach the meadows. After a lovely stroll, take the exit leading to Sandy Lane for a shortcut back towards the tram station (why not also stop off at Stretford Mall for some well-earned lunch?) or come back using the same route to continue cheering on participants.
- Note: An alternative walking option is to head towards Chorlton-cum-Hardy from Stretford station. All you need to do is follow Edge Lane on the A5145 where participants are running. Chorlton-cum-Hardy is also a great place to meet your runner after the event.
Sale
- Start at Sale tram station where you can grab a coffee from the award-winning Grapefruit coffee on the left side of the exit.
- Cross over to Broad Road between mile 21 and 22 of the course, where participants will start to feel fatigue setting in. After cheering your heart out, continue down Broad Road and take a breather in Worthington Park.
- After a stroll, take the park exit on Cheltenham Drive and continue down this road until you reach Northenden Road. Turn right and continue in this direction, until you reach the broadway where there are some nice cafes and coffee shops (we recommend Cafe Amphora - simply turn left down Hope Road for this hidden gem serving up the best homemade cakes!)
- To reach Sale tram station once more, continue back to Northenden Road and continue walking.
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
- Start outside Chorlton-cum-Hardy tram station. Turn right onto Wilbraham Road and right again on Barlow Moor road. Follow the route up to Manchester Road, where the atmosphere will be truly electric in the final stages of the event.
- On Manchester Road, make sure to sample some local food from The Beagle or Barbakan Delicatessen. Our walking route takes you past the Barbakan Delicatessen (great for a sandwich) and loops down Claridge Road, before shortly turning right onto Longford Road.
- Continue down Longford Road to reach Longford Park which has plenty to do (including tennis courts). We then recommend taking the South exit onto Edge Road, where you can cheer on participants once more.
- Following the flow of participants heading towards Chorlton-cum-Hardy, turn off right at Whitelow Road and finally take a right at the well-known Beech Road. This is an independent street in south Manchester packed with fantastic shops, restaurants and bars.
- Beech Road is perfect for a short bar crawl, starting at the Horse and Jockey and finishing at The Lead Station. If food’s what you’re after, you’ll see some great spots such as The Laundrette (specialising in pizza).
- We recommend staying in Chorlton-cum-Hardy to repatriate with your runner, or jumping on the tram to the city centre.
Altrincham
- Start outside Altrincham station and head towards Stamford New Road on the A538. Follow the route, cheering on participants and enjoying the live music (you can also grab a coffee from the popular Two Brothers Coffee, if you can’t wait until reaching the town centre!)
- Follow the route right round to Regents Road and up to Market Road. Follow this up to Altrincham Market which is an incredibly popular foodie haven.
- Grab some food or coffee from the market and continue to Stamford Quarter by turning right down Shaw Road. Have a mosey around the shops and when you’re ready, head back towards the station via Cross Street.
- After all the excitement, seek a calm moment in Stamford Park - a short walk from the town centre. Simply cross over from Cross Street onto Moss Lane and continue until you reach the small but peaceful park, containing a charming cafe, children’s playground and some much needed peace and quiet!
- Finally, we suggest heading back to the tram station and going to the city centre (26 minutes of the green / purple line to Deansgate) where you can meet your participant for a celebratory drink.
We’re delighted to confirm that spectators will be able to get the estimated current locations, of all our runners on Sunday the 27th of April at the adidas Manchester Marathon.
How does this work?
Our timing points on the course will be placed at five locations (start, 10k, halfway, 30k and finish), and as a runner crosses this point their time will be instantly updated on the tracker. Between these points, the tracker will show a predicted location for each runner, based on their speed so far.
This should offer an excellent rough guide for when to look out for a friend or loved one on the course, or follow their progress at home.
Click the button below to access the predictive tracking website on the event day:
*This link will be made live in event week.
We have created a handy article about other methods you can use to track their progress and be there with them every step of the way which includes tips on how to use:
- 'Find My' App on Apple Devices
- Share Location on WhatsApp
- Strava Beacon Feature
We hope these options are helpful and allow you to experience the event more closely with your participant on the big day. Although we discourage spectators at the finish line due to crowds, a finish line live streaming is available to watch through the website and our Manchester Marathon YouTube channel.
*Please be advised that spectator space around the finish line is very congested. We recommend you avoid this area if possible.
The finish area on Oxford Road will be very busy, so we highly recommend you meet your participant away from this area, perhaps somewhere where you can celebrate with a meal such as the City Centre, Chorlton or further South on Oxford Road itself.
We have a selection of café, restaurants and bars which will be offering discounts and offers to all finishers on event day, spread out right across Greater Manchester. Check out the full list below.
1. Deansgate
A short 15-20 minute walk from the the finish line this lively city centre district provides runners and spectators a host of spots to eat, drink and celebrate post event. There are too many places too name but whatever your post event celebration will be Deansgate will have you covered.
2. Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a leafy suburb which runners pass at mile 22 and 23 of the course. It’s a great spot to meet your loved one away from the crowds. The Beagle is a firm favourite for its good beer and pizza, or the Jane Eyre if you want something a little fancier.
3. Local Parks
If you fancy something a bit quieter and away from the crowds then we recommend one of Manchester's local green areas. We've located our favourites in the map below.
Simply click on the park you'd like to visit and your Google Maps will direct you there.
Want to receive the latest supporter information ahead of the event? Fill in your details below and we'll email you everything you'll need to know to support your loved one and make the most of your weekend in Manchester.
A live video stream of the finish line will be available to watch on the website and our adidas Manchester Marathon YouTube channel. Both the men’s and women’s Elite Races will be live until both winners have crossed the line at which point a finish line stream will remain live until the last finisher capturing each and everybody’s finish line moment! If you signed up for the supporter text, you will receive a message when your runner is 2 miles away making sure you can catch their finish line moment.