General Information

The ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon in Trafford on the same super fast course that is the flattest marathon course in the UK and one of the flattest in the world.

For 2018, the race village will be at Emirates Old Trafford, the home of Lancashire Cricket Club and will be sited on the car park in front of the stadium. You will start the race just a short walk away on the A56 White City Roundabout and finish on Talbot Road outside Emirates Old Trafford. The venue change is in line with our growth plans for the event and now allows us to have an 8m wide finish giving you a spectacular finale to your great day.

Some highlights of the route:

• The flattest marathon course in the UK  - flatter than London, Edinburgh, New York, Chicago and many others
• Perfect PB course
• The race village situated at Emirates Old Trafford, the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club, on the car park in front of the pavilion.
• The race will start on the A56 near the White City roundabout, a short walk from the race village at Emirates Old Trafford
• Awesome entertainment and support along the course - see the comments page to hear what our runners said
• The route will be held entirely on closed, main roads
• More of the route in Altrincham where the crowd support was amazing
• We have a new 8m wide finish outside Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC) on Talbot Road

Date  

Sunday April 8th 2018

Location

Getting there

We advise you to use the Metrolink tram network to either Old Trafford, Trafford Bar or Exchange Quay. There is now a direct Metrolink service from Manchester Airport to Trafford Bar. It will take approximately 40 minutes and Trafford Bar is a 10 minute walk from Emirates Old Trafford, where the race village and finish are located. Visit the Metrolink site for more information: http://www.metrolink.co.uk/.   

Parking is also available at the MUFC car parks and can be prebooked (link will be provided closer to race day)

ASICS Pace Runners

We shall have a team of pace runners who will be running the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon at designated speeds. They will be easily identifiable and will make it easy for you to hit your target time. 

Race Packs

Race packs which contain your number and timing chip will be sent out in the post.

Please Note- It will be mandatory for all International runners to collect their race pack from a Central Manchester location prior to the race. The time, date and location will be confirmed nearer to race day. This applies to entrants with a non UK address. Please ensure that you book your transport giving you sufficient time to attend the race pack collection. Please note, there will be no race number collection on race day.

Chip Timing

The ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon in Trafford will be timed with state of the art disposable timing chips. Your time will be recorded at various split points along the way - 10km, 10 miles, 13.1 miles (half marathon) and the finish.

Headphones

There will be a varied assortment of entertainment on the race and the atmosphere is stunning so we don’t believe that you would want to listen to your own music as you run around the course. However, we have listened to you and there is no specific rule from RunBritain other than headphones are banned in championship races. 
Anyone who is not running for a prize is now allowed to wear headphones.

If you do wear headphones PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be considerate to your fellow runners. Wearing headphones DOES impair your hearing and there is every chance that you will not be able to hear important instructions, ambulances and other emergency services, or an ‘excuse me’ from a fellow runner. If you must wear in ear headphones, please leave one out – you never know, you might enjoy the atmosphere and the entertainment!

Lost Property

Any lost property handed in on the day will be taken to the Information Marquee. This will be taken back to the Xtra Mile Events office and kept for 2 weeks before being disposed of or given to charity.

Qualifying for Other Marathons

As the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon in Trafford is licenced by UKA, your time, should it be quick enough, will be eligible as a qualification time for other marathons such as Boston, Comrades and London ‘good for age’.

Course Measurement

The ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon in Trafford has been officially measured as accurate by the Association of UK Course Measurers. The licence is available via the link on the homepage.

Cash Point

There is a cash machine available in the Pavilion Reception area. There are no charges for using this machine.