COURSE RECORDS SET AS THOUSANDS UNITE FOR MANCHESTER’S LARGEST EVER HALF MARATHON

It was a record-breaking day at the 2025 Manchester Half, as a whopping 28,000 participants took on the 13.1 challenge through Greater Manchester, making it Manchester’s largest ever half marathon.

Under a cool and misty Trafford Arch start line, participants of all different types of abilities and motivations lined up to take on the route through Greater Manchester. Tens of thousands of supporters lined the flat and fast route, which headed toward the city centre and through the communities of Stretford, Sale and Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

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In no time at all, the first finishers were flying over the line. First up was Sean Frame beating his own record Elite Wheelchair record in a rapid 00:48:24, while PUMA athlete Joe Wigfield smashed the Men’s Elite course record in a time of 01:02:02. Furthermore, PUMA athlete Lily Partridge took the Women’s Elite title in 01:09:33. Read the full break-down and results of the elite competition here.

As midday approached, the mass field began to flow through the finish line to the cheering crowds. These participants included Coronation Street’s Harriet Bibby (Summer Spellman), Calum Lill (Joel Deering) and Channique Sterling-Brown (Dee-Dee Bailey). Love Island’s Tom Clare, and The Traitor’s star Diane Carson, were also amongst the finishers, as well as Gladiator’s finalist Aneila Afsar, who set a new personal best whilst pushing her daughter in a pram around the course.

Finishers collected their one-of-a-kind rotating medal and rewards at the Event Village, with exciting freebies and activities from Official Partners including the likes of PUMA, Runna, Vitamin Well, Tesla, Applied Nutrition, ERDINGER Alkoholfrei and Official Charity Partners as Moya Cole Hospice, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and The Christie Charity.

With the 2025 Manchester Half now complete, entries for next year’s event on Sunday 4th October 2026 will open to the public at noon, Tuesday 14th October. Best-price places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis – you can sign-up for updates here.

Well done to our amazing 2025 Manchester Half finishers – see you next October!