Sarah, in particular, has always wanted to run the Manchester Half Marathon. I’d quite like to do so too, but my foot problems limit the distance I can run these days.

Finally, Sarah took the plunge and entered the Manchester Half Marathon as part of her preparations to run next years Manchester Marathon. We previously ran the Greater Manchester Marathon 2015, and Sarah wants another attempt. Madness! 🙂

Both this half marathon and the marathon are organised by the same team.

Getting to the event is a feat in itself. It starts at 9 am, and ideally, you need to be there an hour before. It means an early start – which wasn’t too appealing on a wet Sunday morning. I went along to provide support. Arriving early did mean we could take a look at the start and finish line before things got too busy.

Soon, we moved over to the starting pens. We have run many events previously. By some margin, this one was the biggest, and with the largest number of participants, that Sarah has ever entered. So, the idea of setting off in ‘waves’ was new. Each wave setting off 5 minutes apart. It meant that, though the race started at 9 am, Sarah didn’t set off until 9.30 am. It did, however, give her time to get acquainted with the pace-setter she was hoping to follow. And to get wet!

Finally, they were ready for the off!

Then they were on their way.

The first section they covered was a small loop, so I waited and waved at Sarah as she went past. So far so good.

After that, while Sarah and the rest of the runners got on with running, I went for a cup of tea at Cult & Coffee. This is a new establishment at Clippers Quay in Salford, just over the Manchester Ship canal border.

I stayed there for an hour or so before it was time to head over to the finish line and catch Sarah finishing her run.

Then up Talbot Road, Sarah appeared, as she raced ahead of the pace-setter over the last few hundred metres. Well done!

In the funnel, Sarah met Ian, one of our former Stockport Community Cycling Club riders.

Unfortunately, non-runners were barred from the ‘race village’, so I had to walk round to an entrance on the far side to meet Sarah after the run to congratulate her.

Sarah had run 2 hours 15 minutes today and was justifiably pleased with her run. She had been really tired for the previous few days, and even just before the run itself. Yet, this had been her fastest half marathon for getting on for five years. This was achieved thanks to an excellent pace-setter running consistently paced miles and providing consistent encouragement, and Sarah’s sheer determination. Fabulous.

The Manchester Half Marathon is only five years old but has already become one of the biggest and most popular in the UK. It is well worth a go. Maybe, one day my foot problems will recede and I’ll have a go too.

You can view the Manchester Half Marathon route below: