Great Manchester Run training guide

Portland Street and the run out to the Etihad

The 10K and half marathon start together on Portland Street. The organiser says the half marathon begins with a bit of an incline. Half-marathon runners then branch off onto Mancunian Way for a long, largely straight section via Ashton Old Road and Alan Turing Way up to the Etihad Stadium and back. Long straights can feel slow in your head even when your pace is fine, so settle into an effort you can hold.

Chester Road to Salford Quays

After doubling back, the half rejoins the 10K route on Chester Road. The organiser notes that by this point you are well past seven miles. The route continues along Bridgewater Way towards Old Trafford, then through Salford Quays, past Imperial War Museum North and Coronation Street’s Rovers Return. Expect some running alongside the canal.

Back into the city to Deansgate

The route heads back towards the city centre to finish at the bottom of Deansgate. The organiser says the half finishes on some downward running and describes both routes as pretty flat overall. If you have run evenly, the closing miles are a good place to pick up the effort.

Get comfortable on long straights

The organiser recommends building long, straight road stretches into your training. Include steady runs on straight, simple out-and-back routes so you get used to holding rhythm without turns or landmarks to break up the effort.

Build steady half-marathon endurance

Make the weekly long run your anchor and grow it gradually towards and slightly beyond race duration. Add steady or tempo blocks a little slower than 10K effort, then extend the time at that effort as the block progresses.

Keep some hills in the week

The course is mostly flat, but the organiser still suggests hill training for runners who want more than to get round. Short hill reps once a week build strength without adding much extra volume. Practise early-morning long runs and breakfast too, because the half starts at 08:00.

Keep the running and strength work in one place. Explore MaxMile for your Great Manchester Run preparation, or compare the levels of personal coaching.

Start in your allocated wave; the organiser says you can move to a slower wave but not a faster one. Run the early incline on Portland Street gently, then settle into your target effort along Mancunian Way. Use the turn near the Etihad as a check: you should feel controlled, not stretched.

From Chester Road, past the seven-mile mark, hold the same effort through Old Trafford and Salford Quays. If you still feel strong at around 10 miles, use the downward running into the finish on Deansgate to speed up gradually.

The 2027 Great Manchester Run is on Sunday 23 May. A 12-week half-marathon block would begin around Sunday 28 February 2027, or a 16-week block around Sunday 31 January for newer runners. Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, so plan the bank-holiday weekend into the block rather than letting it break your routine.

Your longest runs and key steady sessions will fall in April and early May, when lighter evenings make midweek training easier. Use January and February to build consistent easy running, and taper over the final week or two in mid-May.

Your race number, with its timing chip, should arrive about four weeks before the run. Last-minute and overseas entrants collect theirs from the information point; its location and times are in the event guide, which arrives with the ‘One Month To Go’ email. Fill in the baggage label on your number before you leave home. In 2026, baggage drop was in Exchange Hall at Manchester Central.

The organiser’s provisional 2027 timetable opens half-marathon assembly at 07:15, with the first waves at 08:00 and a later wave at 08:34. The 10K starts later in the morning. Plan an early breakfast and travel into the city centre with time to spare.