WITH around 40,000 runners and over 70,000 spectators, it's already the UK’s third-largest mass participation event, with yesterday witnessing the 300,000th runner cross the finishing line.
First staged in 2003 as a legacy event following the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the Great Manchester Run has since raised upwards of £22m for charity and attracted athletes including three-time Olympic champions Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele, along with former marathon world record-holder Wilson Kipsang and Great Britain’s Jo Pavey, who has won the event twice. Haile Gebrselassie, arguably the greatest ever male distance runner, has meanwhile won the 6.2-mile run an astonishing five times.
We’re sure runners in Manchester will be excited...to take on a half in their city centre
The weekend also includes the Great CityGames, plus the Mini and Junior events - but May 2017 is on course to welcome yet more to the city with an added half marathon taking place the same day as the Great Run.
At more than double the distance, it’ll offer double the challenge: taking in both the Etihad Campus and Old Trafford, running over the Mancunian Way, and finishing at the same point as the 10km beside the Beetham Tower on Deansgate.
The half marathon will take in the Etihad campus, as well as Old Trafford
Brendan Foster, chairman of The Great Run Company, said: “We’re delighted to add a half-marathon route to what is already an incredible event. We’re sure runners in Manchester will be as excited as we are about the chance to take on a half in their city centre, and take the Great Manchester Run on to a new level.
“We’ve worked with Manchester City Council for over a decade now to make this event a landmark in the city and the country, and it’s fantastic that we enjoy the continued support of the Council to make the Great Manchester Run even greater.”
Entries for the half marathon are now being taken here
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