Road racing season is well underway after the thrilling end to the track at the Tokyo World Championships and some of the best British runners and thousands of amateurs will line the streets of Manchester this weekend for the half marathon.
Over 26,000 will take on the 13.1 mile distance, with the event one of the biggest fundraising events of the year with an estimated £1.5m donated to charities.
Look out for Guinness World Records too: Sophie Godley hopes to run the fastest half marathon time (female) carrying golf 13 clubs, while there will be a four-man caterpillar record attempt too.
Famous faces include Gladiator Aneila Afsar, Diane Carson (Traitors, Season Two) and Camilla Ainsworth (The Apprentice, Series 13 finalist).
Jack Rowe won last year’s men’s race in a sizzling 62:12, beating out Jacob Allen and Alexander Lepretre, while Lucy Reid came home as the first woman to win in 69:13. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s race:
When is the Manchester Half Marathon 2026 and what are the start times?
The Manchester Half is on Sunday, 12 October. The race starts at 9am BST for the elites, followed by waves every 10 minutes and the final group should set out at 10.48am BST. The finish line will close three hours after the last participant has crossed the start line; which is approximately a 13.5 minute mile or an 8.5 minute kilometre pace.
What is the route?
The race begins at Trafford and heads towards the city centre, then it loops back towards Stretford, Sale and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Runners will pass Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, with just over a mile remaining before the finish line on Talbot Road.
You can find more information about the route and an interactive map here.
Elite fields
There will be a number of elite runners on Sunday.
Women’s race
British endurance runners and Puma athletes Charlotte Purdue (PB 68:02) and Lily Partridge (PB 70:27) will be among the favourites to battle for the win in the women’s title.
Men’s race
Jonny Mellor, a winner of the 2022 Manchester Marathon, is eyeing up success in this year’s Manchester Half, having previously run a PB of 61:59, though Calum Johnson (PB 63:16) and Jacob Allen (PB 62:43) are sure to contend.
Wheelchair race
This year’s Manchester Half Men’s Elite Wheelchair race will be contested by Sean Frame, Brett Crossley and Matthew Clarke. Three-time Paralympic gold medallist Lauren Rowles is a contender in the Women’s Elite Wheelchair category.
Race tips
Puma athlete Jack Rowe, who holds the course record (62:12) says: “The biggest mistake people make is trying to run the full event distance in training. If you’ve comfortably done 9–10 miles, that’s enough. Race day brings adrenaline, fresh legs, and crowd energy. Overdoing it in training can leave you flat when it counts.
“Don’t try anything new on event day: this isn’t the time to experiment. My advice is to do a full ‘dry run’ of race morning during a training run a few weeks before: wake up early, eat the same breakfast and wear the shoes you’ll take part in. That way, when event day comes, it all feels familiar.”
If you want to race in next year’s Manchester Half, priority access will open on Monday, 13 October at 10am, with public entries opening up the following day at noon. More information is available here.
