Pre-Registration Open For 2017 Manchester Half Marathon
The organisers of the Manchester Half Marathon, Xtra Mile Events, have announced that the second Manchester Half Marathon will take place on Sunday 15th October 2017 and that pre-registration is now open.
Pre-registered athletes will have an exclusive period in which they can enter the race before entries open to the public. Entries for pre-registered athleteswill open on 21st December, and only athletes pre-registered prior to midnight on 20th December will be able to secure their place at the special early bird entry fee.
General entries for the 2017 Manchester Half Marathon will open on Monday 9th January 2017.
Alzheimer’s Society and Cancer Research UK have been announced as National Charity Partners, with The Christie and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) confirmed as the two Local Charity Partners.
The Manchester Half Marathon made its spectacular debut to the streets of Manchester in October 2016 and the race is expected to be a key date in the diary for the running community near and far.
Of huge appeal is the race’s superfast course which makes it one of the best events in which to achieve a PB. With a mere 41m elevation gain and a glorious 2 mile+ finish straight, the inaugural Manchester Half Marathon saw a staggering 74% of the first 50 finishers achieve a PB (personal best) or SB (season best).
The race also saw 22 male athletes beat the magical 70-minute mark. Given that 28 athletes ran sub 70 at the Cardiff World Half Marathon Championships in March, where the best athletes in the world compete, this is an impressive statistic that easily ranks the Manchester Half Marathon as one of the fastest high profile half marathons in the UK.
The flat and fast course makes the Manchester Half Marathon ideal for first time half marathon runners as well as for elite athletes seeking a PB or qualifying time. Adam Hickey (handicap -5.4) took the men’s title at the 2016 Aldi Manchester Half Marathon with a time of 01:04:41 (PB) and Rebecca Murray (handicap -0.6) took the women’s title with a time of 01:12:59 (PB).
The course is accurately measured to IAAF / AIMS certification and feedback from all channels since the first event has been highly positive.
Race Director Simon Hill commented,“We are excited to launch the 2017 Manchester Half Marathon after the great success of the inaugural event this year. With the very real chance to run a PB on the fast and flat course, and the fantastic results from the 2016 race, we are expecting a significant number of athletes to pre-register and be amongst the first to secure their place on the start line in 2017.
“The first Manchester Half Marathon was highly popular among the local running community, but it also attracted many runners from all over the UK looking to hit their target time and experience the great sporting atmosphere for which Manchester is renowned. We are expecting more than half of runners in 2017 to come from outside the Greater Manchester area, now that the race is firmly established as one of the UK’s flattest, fastest and friendliest half marathons.
“We would encourage athletes to pre-register now to have exclusive access to entries on 21st December, so they can start the new year with their autumn race secured.”
Cllr Sean Anstee, the leader of Trafford Council, said,“It is wonderful news that a second half marathon is being held in Trafford following October’s highly successful event. I ran in the previous half marathon and found it well organised and attended and received feedback from many residents and visitors on how much they enjoyed it. Trafford makes an excellent venue for events such as this and it brings extra revenue into the borough boosting the local economy. I look forward to taking part and trying to beat my personal best!”
The Manchester Half Marathon starts and finishes at Emirates Old Trafford home of Lancashire County Cricket Club, the same venue as the popular ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon. It takes runners on wide, closed roads through Old Trafford, Stretford, Brooklands and Sale, and the organisers are once again promising plenty of entertainment and outstanding crowd support.
A total of 15,000 places are available for the 2017 Manchester Half Marathon. Pre-registration is open now and entries for pre-registered athletes will open on 21st December.
Go to http://www.manchesterhalfmarathon.com for further race details and to sign up now, like the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/manchesterhalfmarathon and follow @manchesterhalf #ManchesterHalf #NOWWERUN on Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest news.
Photo: Finishers at the Manchester Half Marathon © Tim Waterworth