Billed as the flattest marathon in the UK and the country’s second biggest marathon behind the highly sought after London Marathon, the Adidas Manchester Marathon took place last Sunday.

The temperature started out at a sunny 11 degrees C when I made my way to the start area which was at the Old Trafford Football Stadium. Many runners were going to the same place so I just followed the crowds easily. 

I reached Old Trafford in good time with about 90 minutes to spare for my 9:30am wave start. It was a very fast process to drop off my bag and the lorries that would transport our bags from the start point to the finish area were well marked according to our colour wave. I was in the Bronze wave and found my lorry quickly. 

The toilet queues were complete madness but fortunately the volunteers were great in helping me to find the shortest queue and even promising they would get me to the front of the line if the queue wasn’t clearing in time. So I was able to relieve myself without too much worries.

It was warming up quickly and I took off my sweater during the walk to the start pens. It was quite a bit of a walk from Old Trafford to the start line at Trafford Arch but the crowd was very orderly and everyone was patient. The volunteers also did a great job in keeping everyone in line and ensuring that runners entered the start pens in accordance to our bib colours.

I was flagged off sharp at 9:30am. The next four or so hours would be a 42.195km journey on foot around Greater Manchester. From Old Trafford, we would run through popular suburbs of Manchester such as Altrimcham, Sale and Timperley. I would have liked to run through the city centre but this wasn’t really featured along the 2025 route.

The route is billed as flat, but it’s not pancake flat. There are some gentle inclines along the way in the first half but nothing too challenging I guess. 

The first few kilometres started well. I was running at a good pace and enjoying the scenery and weather, soaking up the crowd support and having a lot of fun. 

As the heat levels began to rise, I quickly found myself struggling and fading away and my pace slowed earlier than I would have wanted.

I reached the halfway point in 1 hour 51 min. The target was already out of the window by this point unless I could do a strong negative split – which was looking more and more unlikely. 

The second half was torture. The sun was out in full force, and I quickly abandoned any hopes of running a PB. I was now on survival mode and just trying to get to the finish line.

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Along the way, the organisers had water stations every 3 miles giving out mini bottles of  water. Sometimes the bottles were pre-opened but other times I had to actually open the bottle myself. As well, there were three stations along the way providing the official race High-5 energy gels. 

I do feel that the organiser could have done more to combat the heat as there were prior warnings in the lead-up to the race that it would be a hot day. 

For example, ice buckets and cold sponges would have helped a lot. As well, the water stations could have been every 2 miles rather than 3 miles apart. I had some portable hydration of my own, but it was not enough as I had been relying on the organiser’s hydration in addition to my own. 

But what the organiser didn’t provide, I really have to thank the spectators and the people of Manchester for coming out and keeping us cool. There were many spectators along the route who came out of their houses and hosed us down using their garden hoses as well as spraying us with water and mist. I was extremely thankful for these. Thank you to the people of Manchester, you all were really awesome. I am so touched and appreciated it a lot. 

Besides keeping us cool, the spectators also did an awesome job lining the streets and cheering us on. There were many times I heard my name being shouted out by complete strangers, go Pris, and it really gave me the extra energy I needed to keep going. 

There were many hilarious and creative marathon signs along the way that brought a smile to my face such as “smile, remember you paid to do this”and “never trust a fart after mile 20.” 

The football banter was at its best too and made me chuckle. With the intensive bitterness and rivalry between local team Manchester United and their North-West neighbours Liverpool, many signs were playfully related to Liverpool’s winning the league title, such as “hurry up, Liverpool have a league title to win.” There are indeed a lot of Liverpool fans living in Manchester!

All of this was particularly fitting too because Man U are languishing in mid-table whereas Liverpool were on the verge of winning the title. The Reds later indeed sealed the league title in that same afternoon following the marathon, with a 5-1 demolition of Spurs at Anfield. 

On the topic of football, I spotted a couple of runners along the way in Liverpool jerseys. Many of the spectators were also in football jerseys ranging from clubs such as Liverpool, Man U, Man City to Nottingham Forest. As such, there was quite a fair bit of verbal banter exchanged along the route between spectators and runners!

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By 30km, I was struggling. The temptation to give up was there, but as long as my legs could keep moving, I was not going to stop. I was feeling my legs cramping up but I was still able to shuffle along at a jogging pace. By 32km, I kept repeating to myself that there was just 10km left. I wanted that finisher medal and tee. Otherwise how could I post it on social media and tell the whole world, if I give up? 

The spectators in the last few kilometres were awesome. The cheers were louder than ever and I felt myself feeding off their energy to keep moving. I didn’t even know I possessed the energy to carry on otherwise. 

Every kilometre, every mile felt like forever. It was a never-ending death march and the harsh sun was burning me to a crisp. But feeding on the energy from the spectators, somehow I was able to keep myself moving.

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35km, 36km, 37km. 3 miles to go. One parkrun left to run. 

I am dying. I am cramping up. I want to end the suffering. 

What am I doing? Why am I doing this? I don’t know where I am. My brain and body is exhausted. I can no longer think, I have lost all sense of feeling. Why did I pay good money to do this to myself?

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Pacing was out of the window long ago, but I had to remind myself that I can still complete the marathon. Of course I definitely did not come all this way to give up now. 

38km, 39km, 40km. The finish line was in sight.

One mile left.

One kilometer left.

The finish straight.

Why does the finish straight feel like never-ending? I am dying. 

When will it end?

Oh there it is! The finish line!

I see the University of Manchester up ahead.

Sweet, sweet relief.

I give it one finish push, everything I have.

The finish line!!!!

The clock reads 3 hours 57 mins 04 seconds.

Oh oh it feels so good. My legs are completely dead and suddenly I am overcome with cramp. 

But I’ve done it. I did it.

I am a finisher. 

I have completed the Adidas Manchester Marathon 2025.

We are ushered through the finish area to collect our finisher medals. The medal is beautiful and the design is definitely one of the better ones I’ve seen. 

Other entitlements given to us are a can of alcohol-free beer, coconut water and an energy bar and not forgetting our finisher t-shirt. It is unisex cutting.

I take a few photos and pose with my finisher medal, then it’s time for a shower and then off to a pub for a recovery drink and watch the English Premier League champions being crowned. 

Weather issues aside as nobody can control the weather, I would say that the Adidas Manchester Marathon is definitely a great alternative to London Marathon if you want the big race vibe but didn’t manage to get a spot for London. Despite the heat, it was definitely an experience I’d never forget. 

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