Manchester Marathon

Course & Elevation

The adidas Manchester Marathon is a road marathon through south Manchester and Trafford, held on a Sunday in April, and the organisers describe it as the second-largest marathon in the UK. It starts on Bridgewater Way beside Old Trafford and finishes on Oxford Road outside the University of Manchester, so start and finish are in different places. The route goes through Stretford, Sale, Altrincham and Chorlton before returning to the city centre, and the organisers present it as a fast, flat course. More than 42,000 people were signed up for the 2026 edition, and a record 52,000 are planned for 2027. The first Manchester Marathon was run in 1908, starting and finishing at the Saracen's Head pub in Warburton; it covered about 20 miles because no marathon distance had been fixed yet. Manchester marathons were later run in 1969-73 as the Maxol marathons, in 1981-85 and in 1996-2002. The current race began on 29 April 2012 as the Greater Manchester Marathon, starting and finishing in Longford Park, Stretford, and sportswear company adidas became its long-term partner in 2023.