The adidas Manchester Marathon, Europe’s fifth largest, has confirmed Sunday 27th April as the date for its 2025 edition.
This means next spring will see the UK’s two most popular marathons, London and Manchester, take place on the same day for the first time in recent history.
London and Manchester being held concurrently will produce an incredible day of marathon participation, with a combined 90,000 people set to create a new world record. Those interested in taking on the challenge can register now for Priority Access via the official website: https://www.manchestermarathon.co.uk/register-your-interest/. A limited number of guaranteed public places for the event will be released from 12pm BST on Tuesday 16th April 2024.
The announcement comes as Greater Manchester prepares to hold the 2024 adidas Manchester Marathon this Sunday 14th April. A sell-out record 32,000 participants will take on the scenic 26.2-mile route which starts from Old Trafford. Over 125,000 supporters are expected to be on the streets, contributing to the friendly and vibrant atmosphere the event is known for.
The adidas Manchester Marathon is also delighted to announce that Team GB Olympic legend Laura Kenny, will be joining the mass field to take part in this year’s event. Kenny, who won six Olympic medals in a glittering cycling career which made her the world’s most successful female cyclist and Great Britain’s most successful female athlete of all time, will take on a new challenge just weeks after announcing her retirement.
Meanwhile Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will set off participants as part of a star-studded line-up which also includes event MC Pien Meulensteen, TV sports presenter and daughter of former Manchester United first-team coach, René Meulensteen.
They will be joined by an impressive line-up of elite runners which includes the likes of Adam Clarke, Alex Teuten and Matthew Crehan in the elite men’s race; Melissah Gibson, Aoife Cooke and Georgie Bruinvels in the elite women’s race; and Bret Crossley, Matthew Clarke and Tiaan Bosch in the elite wheelchair race.
Thousands of participants are again opting into the adidas Manchester Marathon Green Runner initiative, forgoing their finisher t-shirt, medal or both. The project aims to raise £5,000 for City of Trees to support their mission of planting trees across Greater Manchester. 7% of participants have pledged to help and will be sporting a distinctive green number at Sunday’s event.
Amongst the good luck messages flooding in ahead of the challenge, Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay has written and performed a brand-new song to inspire those taking part. The track ‘Your Time Has Come’ has already been watched thousands of times on social media, with many calling for it to be released on Spotify so they can listen while taking part. The video can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-wErFf0ZlP5 and is also available on YouTube: “Your Time Has Come” – created by Jon Courtenay, for the adidas Manchester Marathon – YouTube
Finally, the adidas Manchester Marathon can reveal that the most common finish time participants are aiming for is just under four hours. A massive 2,885 people say they are aiming to hit a target of 3:55-4:00 hours. Meanwhile over 250,000 people are expected to track how their friends and family progress in the event via the official website, requiring extra servers to be sourced to cope with the demand. Record-breaking tram use is also expected across Greater Manchester: 114,000 people were confirmed to have used the Metrolink at last year’s event – the busiest in Metrolink history – with that figure expected to rise again this year.
Andrew Smith, CEO of adidas Manchester Marathon event organiser Human Race, said:“We’re delighted to announce that the adidas Manchester Marathon will return in 2025 on Sunday 27th April. It represents an incredible day for marathon participation in the UK, with the London Marathon due to take place on the same day.
“We’re proud to be a part of such a historic weekend in the UK which will see hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators come together to get behind some incredible causes and to celebrate physical exercise and achievement.
“And what better way to celebrate that announcement than to confirm the participation of a sporting legend in this year’s event. Laura Kenny needs no introduction with her extraordinary exploits both on and off the track. We’re looking forward to welcoming her alongside our all participants for a fantastic weekend in Manchester.”
For more information, please visitwww.manchestermarathon.co.uk
