Your guide to the Manchester Marathon 2025

Its that time again when over 30,000 runners get ready to run 26.2 miles in the Manchester Marathon 2025.

Many roads will be closed from around 8 am until 3 pm on Sunday; you can find all road closure information here: https://www.manchestermarathon.co.uk/road-closure

For the runners, they will have the best support from the public for the entire length of the Marathon, which starts in Old Trafford and finishes close to Manchester City Centre.

Whilst the elite and club runners will have everything sorted out from training to what they wear, beginner runners, though, will need some help so their run is as smooth as possible—26.2 miles is a long way, so it’s important to get things right.

For a beginner, the training needed to have started around October last year, which should have included some track work and strength training; learning to run that will use as little energy as possible will make things easier.

With the right food intake, hydration, and relaxation, this will give you the best chance of getting a great time and suffering less. Other things that are as important are what to wear before the race, so get those things sorted out well before the Marathon.

Wearing the right running shoes will mean you will run with confidence, knowing you will get to the finishing line faster and, more importantly, hopefully with no injuries.

It would be hard for us to say which is best for someone, as obviously, every foot is different, but we have information that may help from a foot expert who claims that super soft foams can cause plantar fasciitis and could lead to Achilles pain.

Other trainers that have a flat footbed with no stability can cause plantar fasciitis, which is very painful, and even the smallest amount of pain will mean even walking is difficult!

The big brands like Adidas and Nike now have big competition from Puma and Hoka. Asics have always been around and provide many trainers for every runner. On has some great-looking running shoes; however, the foot expert says they are too soft and have no stability.

Cheap running shoes might be great for running around the park and good for saving money; they may look like they could last two or even three marathons. The problem is they won’t last half a marathon before the stitching starts to become loose, and you’ll watch your feet roll and damage your ankle or worse!

Often, the midsole of a cheap and cheerful pair of trainers will fail long before your 26.2-mile run has ended, giving you no comfort whatsoever. If that wasn’t enough, your feet will sweat so much you will want to run barefoot! Cheap and cheerful trainers have inferior fabrics which suffer in extreme conditions like in a marathon.

Socks are also as important as the running shoes you are wearing; choosing no-seam socks is the ticket to making sure they are very breathable.

These are just tips on the things that will give all the beginner runners the advantage on the big day, which will make things as good as can be.