The Great Manchester Run series is one I’ve attended a lot and it’s one that I will always go back to. There is just something about the atmosphere that drags me back again and again. This year I took on the half marathon.
As always, I received my race bib pack a couple of weeks before the day itself, and this includes your number and all other important information. It’s useful and it gets you excited. Just make sure you remember everything on the day!
Race Day
Arriving Into Manchester
At 6:15am my alarm was blaring out, and by 6:50am I was on the bus to Manchester.
The Great Manchester Run half marathon kicks off at 9am. I’ve always done the 10k and as that starts at 1pm it’s a much more relaxed race morning. I only had two options – this bus at 6:50am or driving into town myself. I chose the bus because I thought parking would be a nightmare and I like a stress-free race morning.
The bus journey takes me around an hour compared to a 30-40 minute car ride, but this gave me time to wake up and relax a little before getting into the race atmosphere.
Due to the half marathon however, road closures were in place and this meant bus routes were changed. Not a big deal as the buses still get you into Manchester, just something to be aware of. I had to get off on the wrong side of Piccadilly Gardens compared to actually getting off near Deansgate on the usual route.
I was surprised at just how quiet the town felt at 8am, but I guess this is the difference between running the half marathon and the 10k. SO many enter the 10k, that the half marathon runners seemed very few in comparison to how my experience usually is.
Finding Baggage Drop
The baggage drop at the Great Manchester Run event is hands down the best one I’ve seen and experienced. There are a number of buses that get parked in and around the Deansgate area – right near the finish line. Each has a number, and each race wave gets allocated a few of them.
You find your bib colour, choose any number bus and put your bag on it. There’s always someone stood at the door and they check your bib number against your bag if you leave with one. I’ve never had to queue or rush around using these and I just think it’s such a good idea.
The only downside is the fact that they are a good 5-10 minute walk from the starting line, but this is countered by them being there at the finish line so you don’t have to walk far afterwards. Definitely the better placement.
Charity Village
Admittedly, I didn’t really spend any time in here. The charity village is located in between the start and finish lines, in Albert Square. Easy to find, plenty of charities there to speak to.
Toilets
Due to the time of day, using the toilets was a breeze. There are a few different rows of portaloos spread out in the streets surrounding the race area.
Normally, they do get fairly long queues, but I didn’t find them bad at all for the half marathon. Bonus was they were all still clean and full with toilet roll! I know for a fact they start to get a little nasty as the day goes on.
The Great Manchester Run Half Marathon
Start Line
The start line is easy to find as there are signs pointing you in the right direction, and also plenty of marshalls about to ask. As I was in the half marathon race, we had two waves. One left at 9:00am, and the second at 9:10am. It all went very smoothly as far as I could tell, though I didn’t look to see what time we actually started.
I’ve always loved the 10k race, but I’ve decided I’m a bigger fan of the half marathon. With fewer people, it just felt so much more open.
The Route
I actually quite liked the route. There were some big points of interest, and lots of things to see. I don’t know Manchester that well besides the very center, and as always I didn’t really look at the route much.
All I knew was that I’d be running past both the Etihad and Old Trafford, and we’d be going down the Mancunian Way. That was probably the most difficult section as the Mancunian Way is quite hilly, but it was okay because the rest is fairly flat in comparison.
The Stations
In all honesty I don’t know how many we had without searching for that information, but they felt like they were spaced really well. We had a few water stations that had small bottles – much better than regular 500ml bottles. I only noticed one gel station, but I’m not sure if I just didn’t noticed any others.
They were giving out Clif Gels and Bloks. I didn’t use them on the day as I’d never tried them before, but I did actually grab one of each so I could try them later… I’d took my own High5 Gels and they definitely helped.
Some of the spectators had boxes of sweets that they were holding out too, mostly Haribo or Jelly Babies from what I could see. It’s such a lovely gesture, and I saw so many people taking them!
The Support
Incredible, as always. So many locals find their way to the sidelines at this race event. They were pretty much lining the entire distance. Some sections had far less people of course, but still they covered a lot of the route. I always say that one of the best part of this event is having your name on your bib, because so many people shout your name out and give you a boost. It’s great.
We also had plenty of music sections and charity buses filled with cheering people to keep us going. I can’t really remember which areas where my favourites, but some of them were really amazing on the support.
The Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Finish Line
I love this event. This finish line is probably one of the best I’ve experienced. You start seeing the signs leading up telling you how close you are now. Looking up, the towering Hilton coming into view is the tell-tale sign for me – I know it’s just around the corner then. You have roughly 200 metres to go as you’re turning the corner and coming under the bridge. The noise is deafening and there are hundreds of people lining the street here.
I can’t help but get under the bridge and then start a sprint to the finish. You can see it right ahead and everyone is cheering. It’s amazing. That does mean I rarely get good finishing photos as I always look horrendous, but hey who doesn’t love a sprint finish?
There are actually at least 6 photographers here as you make your way to the finish line, so one is bound to catch you. Hopefully looking good and not like you’re about to pass out… And actually, my finishing photos aren’t the worst I’ve ever had so that’s a bonus.
The Finishers Bag
In this bag you get your t-shirt. medal and a load of random goodies.
I really love this years top, it’s quite simple and not completely out there colour or design wise. Very wearable! Though the small size still fits like a dress on me – the downside to unisex t-shirts.
This years goodie bag seemed especially good. I don’t know if that’s the half marathon bag, or whether both races got the same things. Most of the items above were in the bag, just the Hippeas weren’t. I snagged those off a stand in the finishing area. But yeah, a really good selection. I also managed to get three more boxes of that Kelloggs cereal as people were handing them out in the street. Useful stuff.
There were so many brands in the finishing area, mostly selling stuff but a lot also giving free foods. Wagamama and Nandos had food stands serving free stuff. The queues were pretty big, but worth it for some grub.
Simply Health Stretching & Massage
I spotted the Simply Health stretching area as a stretching routine/demonstration was happening so I joined in with that. It’s such a great idea as a lot of people (myself included!) just don’t bother really stretching properly after a run. This got you involved and also gave you an idea of what kind of stretching you should be doing.
I’d also pre-booked a free massage, so that’s where I headed next. I don’t think the pre-booking really mattered to be honest because we all just queued up after signing a disclaimer form. The massages were in one of the buildings close by and it gave you a chance to have a bit of a sit down and rest whilst waiting.
The queue itself wasn’t too bad as there were a lot of bed spaces. I don’t think I waited more than 15 minutes. My massage was great, and the guy doing it was really helpful, giving tips on how to best stretch out and look after my body whilst running. It definitely helped, and I felt so much better afterwards.
Another Year, Another Great Manchester Run
Overall, I think this is probably one of the best Great Manchester Run events that I’ve done. I think the longer distance really helps me for one to just take it a bit slower and enjoy it more. I actually managed to get a half marathon PB on this one, and I felt like I was going pretty quickly. I really settled into a good pace and it just shows that all the training does pay off!
You can see my full race stats below:
Have you done the Great Manchester Run Half Marathon before?
