Greater Manchester Marathon.

AuldManKing

Only downside for me was the lack of proper signage on the course. Knowing that in advance I'd have distance showing on the Garmin next time.

There are so many hotels in & around Salford Quays which is 5-10 mins from the start/finish line.

Course is predominately flat, good support on most of the course.
Stewards were great - every town/road crossing etc was well marshaled.

Finish area was grand - not too packed - got a massage, coffee, fruit etc.

Nice number of people doing it as well - I think approx. 7000 started, so not too squashed.

Bahanaman

AuldManKing wrote: »

Only downside for me was the lack of proper signage on the course. Knowing that in advance I'd have distance showing on the Garmin next time.

There are so many hotels in & around Salford Quays which is 5-10 mins from the start/finish line.

Course is predominately flat, good support on most of the course.
Stewards were great - every town/road crossing etc was well marshaled.

Finish area was grand - not too packed - got a massage, coffee, fruit etc.

Nice number of people doing it as well - I think approx. 7000 started, so not too squashed.

Some run from you AMK! I'm in somewhat similar situation to yourself but with 10-15 min extra on my target! I'm just starting the real training for Waterford in June and am gonna follow the BAA plan. Gavlor is full of praise for it and says you used it too. Were you happy with it? I like the little bit of flexibility it allows re mileage!

keaned82

Bahanaman wrote: »

Well all who were there! What's the overall verdict on Manchester? Worth considering for 2015? How was it re accommodation, course, organisation, stewarding, support/atmosphere etc.?

This was my 1st overseas Marathon.
Stayed in Premier Inn Old Trafford ( 5 mins walk to start / finish / race village )
Easy to get there train from airport to Manc Piccadilly & tram to exchange quay (5 mins walk to hotel )
Nice relaxed atmosphere at marathon - excellent support along the route ( up there with dublin ) never though I'd say it but actually looked forward to a few little hills ?? Found the route hard on the calves because it was so flat ??
Overall a good marathon that I would recommend - option of collecting race numbers for overseas runners on the morning of race also which is handy
Also If your thinking of doing this marathon - would def recommend bringing your own gels / hydration - tried the ones on the coarse (cliff gels & shot blocs ) and Wow they were nasty !!

charkee

agree with comment s

lack of signage for early miles and from half way to 18.

had problems opening up the water pouches.

its good in terms flat course ,not too packed ,friendliness and hotels near the start.

but I preferred rotterdam flat,city centre start and finish and more of a buzz in the area arfter.

vinny1313

Worth considering for 2015?: Absolutley

Accommodation: No problem, plenty of hotels very neat near the start/finish, I stayed in the Ibis Budget, cheap and very nice. Transport links from the city and airport are good.

Course: Nice enough, not pancake flat but no inclines of note, certainly much flatter than Dublin or Cork.

Organisation: It seemed pretty well organised. The lack of signs could be improved upon, though I didn't notice them missing at the time.

Stewarding: Again, seemed fine, and they were very visible in their orange jackets.

Support/atmosphere: Excellent, especially for an event of its size, much much better than I was expecting.

Other Stuff...
I had issues with the water pouches too, but I managed, still a much better option than cups. For me the Clif Shot Bloks were a positive, I'm not a fan of gels.

I think it's a good race for a PB (not just because I ran one). The relatively small numbers means it's not near as crowded early on as say Rotterdam. Also the chances of it turning hot in Manchester are slimmer, which was my number one reason to choose it in the first place. It can get very warm on the continent in April.