Photo: © A.S.O. UK / adidas Manchester Marathon▶adidas Manchester Marathon
Manchester, United Kingdomsince 1908At a glance
adidas Manchester Marathon 2027 takes place on 18 April 2027 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Distances: 42.195 km. Start: Old Trafford (Trafford).
- Date
- Sunday, 18 April 2027
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom
- Start
- Old Trafford (Trafford)
- Finish
- Oxford Road, Manchester city centre
- Distances
- Marathon · 42.195 km · Competitive
- Registration
- Sold out
- Organiser
- A.S.O. UK Limited ↗
- Official website
- manchestermarathon.co.uk ↗
- Edition
- since 1908
Last updated: 19 October 2026
The race
The adidas Manchester Marathon is the UK's second-largest marathon, one of the biggest in Europe, and bills itself as the flattest major marathon in the UK, with great PB potential. The 2027 edition takes place on Sunday 18 April with a record 52,000 participants expected; in 2026 there were 42,000 runners, cheered on by more than 150,000 spectators, and they raised over £4.5 million for charity.
The Manchester Marathon has a very long history: the first was run in 1908, and in 1909 it became the first amateur marathon over the modern distance of 26 miles 385 yards; after several breaks the event returned to Trafford and grew to its current size. adidas has been title partner since 2023, and the race is organised by A.S.O. UK.
The 2026 course started in the Old Trafford area, passed through Stretford, Sale, Timperley and Altrincham (where halfway falls), came back through Sale Moor and Chorlton-cum-Hardy and finished on Oxford Road in Manchester city centre. Dozens of music points and cheer zones line the route. The race is sanctioned by UK Athletics and counts as a qualifier where a marathon time is needed, with equal prize money for men and women. Public places for 2027 sold out in ten days; places with the official charities remain.
Videos
Course
The 2026 course, published as a guide for 2027, is point to point, flat and on roads. It starts in the Old Trafford area by the canal and after about a mile passes the Supporter Send Off at Deansgate Interchange; it returns towards Old Trafford along Chester Road and Talbot Road (Miles 2-4) and heads south down Chester Road to Stretford (Miles 5-6).
It crosses Sale along Cross Street (Miles 7-8), continues along Washway Road towards Timperley (Miles 10-11) and reaches Altrincham, where halfway falls (Miles 12-13). The return leg runs via Stockport Road and Shaftesbury Avenue (Mile 14), Altrincham Road in Baguley (Mile 15), Brooklands Road and Marsland Road (Mile 17) and Sale Moor (Miles 18-19), with the Runna Cheer Zone at Mile 18.
Back on Chester Road (Mile 20), the route follows Edge Lane (Mile 21) to Chorlton-cum-Hardy, home of the Jet2 Runway at Mile 22, then Upper Chorlton Road towards Whalley Range (Mile 23), Hulme and Stretford Road (Miles 24-25) and the final stretch on Oxford Road to the finish in the city centre. The official map marks drinks stations along the whole route and more than twenty-five activity points with bands, choirs and DJs.
What's included
- Race pack
- Finisher medal
- Technical shirt
- Bag drop
- Aid stations
- Race photos
Rules and requirements
You get in with a public place (released in stages from the day after the 2026 race: first Legends finishers, then other finishers and the priority list, and from 21 April 2026 the public) or with a charity place from the official charities; the organisers do not use a ballot. Public places for 2027 sold out in ten days.
A.S.O. UK's terms require you to be healthy and prepared and do not mention medical certificates or licences, including for overseas runners. The cut-off is at least 6 hours from the moment the last runner crosses the start line: those behind may be asked to continue on the pavement.
The race is sanctioned by UK Athletics and is a valid qualifier. Elite athletes can apply for a place with times from the last two years, by 15 March 2027. Event packs are posted to UK residents; overseas runners collect theirs at adidas Market Street in Manchester before the race, never on race day.
Refunds only within 14 days of purchase or with Booking Protection; no transfers or deferrals, except for pregnancy (refund or free deferral for up to two years). Bag drop is at Old Trafford and bags are taken to an area near the finish.
