Greater Manchester Marathon

The Greater Manchester Marathon is a long-distance running event in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The most recent marathon was held on 8 April 2018, and finished at Old Trafford Cricket Ground. The race was first held in 2012.[1] It is claimed that the race is the flattest marathon course in the UK, with only 54 metres (177 ft) of elevation.[2] The 2013, 2014 and 2015 Greater Manchester Marathon times have been declared invalid after the course was found to be 380m 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 20 miles (32 km) only. The first marathon to be run over 26 miles and 385 yards was the race in 1909, it started in Sandbach 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.[1] Until 2012, the last marathon to be held in the city was in 2002, with the 10 km Great Manchester Run superseding it as the major running event in Manchester.[3]

Route

The current course finishes at Old Trafford cricket ground and passes a number of famous Manchester landmarks including the Old Trafford football ground.[3][4] It works its way through Trafford Park, Stretford, Sale, Timperley, Altrincham and Urmston.[5]

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 route was subsequently found to be 380 metres (420 yd) short of the correct distance.[6][7]

Invalid races

The 2013, 2014 and 2015 Greater Manchester Marathon times have been declared invalid after the course was found to be 380m too short in 2016. UK Athletics will not recognise times from those races. The error was corrected in time for 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.[8]

Results

Edition Year Date Time (h:m:s) Men's winner Time (h:m:s) Women's winner
620172 Apr2:22:37Patrick Martin2:37:03Georgie Bruinvels[9]
5201610 Apr2:22:34Steven Bayton2:48:04Kelly Crickmore
4201519 Apr2:17:47Paul Martelletti2:37:21Georgie Bruinvels
320146 Apr2:16:59Andi Jones2:38:26Emily Wicks
2201328 Apr2:20:19Dave Norman[10]2:42:24Issy Menzies
1201229 Apr2:24:50Dave Norman[10]3:05:26Rebecca Johnson[11]

Prizes

Prizes of equal value are awarded to men and women as follows:[12]

  • 1st prize £750 cash
  • 2nd prize £500 cash
  • 3rd prize £250 cash
  • 4th prize £200 cash
  • 5th prize £150 cash
  • 6th prize £140 cash
  • 7th prize £130 cash
  • 8th prize £120 cash
  • 9th prize £110 cash
  • 10th prize £100 cash

Time bonuses are also awarded for men running under 2 hours 20 minutes and women running under 2 hours 30 minutes and ASICS vouchers are awarded to the fastest man and woman in each age group.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Greater Manchester Marathon – Race History
  2. Greater Manchester Marathon website – general information
  3. 1 2 BBC News | First marathon set for Manchester in a decade
  4. Greater Manchester Marathon – General Information
  5. Greater Manchester Marathon – Route Map
  6. "Greater Manchester Marathon course was 380m short, says measuring body". BBC Sport. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  7. Holland, Phil (18 April 2016). "Investigations into course length of Manchester Marathon 2013–2015". Association of UK Course Measurers. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. "Asics Greater Manchester Marathon results". Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  9. 1 2 Dave Norman at Power of 10
  10. Rebecca Johnson at Power of 10
  11. Greater Manchester Marathon – Elite entries
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