adidas Manchester Marathon 2024: All you need to know before the event

Taking place on Sunday 14^th April 2024, a record number of 32,000 people are expected to take on the 26.2-mile course, amidst unprecedented demand for places.

In addition to the participants, more than 125,000 spectators are expected to line the streets of Trafford and Manchester to offer their support.

Currently, it is estimated that the event will raise around £3.5 million for hundreds of charities, with nearly 2,000 places allocated to representatives from Alzheimer’s Society, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and The Christie.

Timings & route information:

On the day, the first wave of Elite Wheelchair runners will set off at 08:55, followed by Elite runners at 09:00. Following this, participants will set off in 10-minute intervals, with the last wave at 11:10.

As with previous years, the route will start and end in Trafford. Participants will set off underneath Trafford Arch at White City Circle, making their way past Old Trafford before heading to the city centre via Chorlton and Hulme.

After reaching the city centre, runners will then head towards Stretford, passing through Sale before turning off before Timperley and reaching Altrincham at around the 16-mile mark.

The final leg of the route will take runners through Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, with Talbot Road leading the way to the finish line.

Along the way, runners can expect to take in some of Manchester’s most iconic landmarks, from Bridgewater Hall and Beetham Tower, to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ itself, Old Trafford.

The full participant guide can be viewed here. Additional route information can be found here.

Road closures:

Road closures include the A56 (Northbound and Southbound), and full details can be found here.

Officials will start closing roads at 3am and begin re-opening roads from 2pm as the course clears. The last closed road is expected to be re-opened at 8pm through Chorlton and Old Trafford towards the end of the course.

What’s new:

This year, the adidas Manchester Marathon welcomes a brand-new mascot, Chester the Bee, who is the partner of the marathon's much-loved existing mascot Manny the Bee. Manchester has a vibrant LGBTQIA+ community and introducing mascots that celebrate this diversity allows the marathon to reflect these identities within Greater Manchester.

It's a way to honour the unique contributions and experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and showcase their pride within the larger community.

The adidas Manchester Marathon organisers donate £1 for every participant in the adidas Manchester Marathon to the Trafford Active Fund. The Trafford Active fund offers local groups and organisations the chance to receive a special allocation of funding to build a long-lasting sport and physical activity legacy in Greater Manchester.

Additionally, as part of the eco-friendly Green Runner initiative, City of Trees has been appointed as the event’s Green Runner charity. The initiative strives to improve the event’s sustainability credentials, reducing its overall environmental impact. Ultimately, the adidas Manchester Marathon aims to donate £5,000 to support the planting of trees across Greater Manchester.

This year, participants will receive a finishers T-shirt which has been exclusively crafted by local Mancunian cityscape artist, Meha Hindocha, and features iconic landmarks in the areas the route passes through.

Participants will also be able to access an exclusive adidas Manchester Marathon pop-up experience in the run-up to the event, taking place from 10^th-13^th April at Feel Good Club in Northern Quarter.

An array of experiences will be on offer, from special guest panel discussions and adidas giveaways, to yoga sessions and shake-out runs to help. More information, including the event sign-up link, can be found here.

For more information, please visit www.manchestermarathon.co.uk