NORTHERN LIGHT SPEED
LOOKING FOR A FAST 26.2 – MILER NEXT SPRING? THEN HEAD TO THE ASICS GREATER MANCHESTER MARATHON
WORDS: ANNA PEARCE / ELIZABETH HUFTON
ASICS GREATER MANCHESTER MARATHON
Many races claim to be PB friendly, but few can back up their claims as convincingly as the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon. At this year’s race, the course lived up to its reputation as one of the flattest and fastest around (with just 54m of elevation over the whole marathon route) – more than half of the top 250 runners bagged a personal best. In the top 50, 86 per cent of runners recorded either a PB or a season’s best; and our own Big Marathon Challenge runner Claire Price smashed her sub-four-hour target, too (see page 82 for her story).
Around 9,000 runners finished the 41st edition of the marathon on 2 April in beautiful spring sunshine. The course makes the most of its big-city location, taking runners around Sale, Altrincham and Timperly before an atmospheric finish at the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground.