A Dad from West Didsbury ended up completing the Manchester Marathon in under five hours this past weekend after making a “stupid mistake”.
As mad as it may initially sound, Mat Wheelhouse hadn’t actually planned to run 26 miles when he arrived in Manchester city centre last Sunday clutching a bottle of water and hoping his AirPods wouldn’t run out of charge.
The 38-year-old was unprepared for the challenge he had ahead of him that day, and a big part of that was due to the fact he only had is name down to run half the distance.
Like many people across the globe, Mat had got himself hooked on running during the several COVID-19 lockdowns, and so he signed up for the Manchester Half Marathon with the idea of testing himself and raising worthy funds The Christie in memory of his late father.
But due to what he said was a “stupid mistake”, Mat realised that he’d missed the Half Marathon by hours, and had found himself in a queue full of runners preparing for the full marathon.
Mat said that although he was mortified by his error, he still wanted to keep his commitment to those that had sponsored him on his JustGiving page, so he went to the information centre to see if anything could be done and one of the volunteers then told him that the only option would be to upgrade to the full marathon – which she said she was happy to do for no extra fee.
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Here’s everything you need to know.
The Manchester Marathon and Half Marathon took place on Sunday 10 October / Credit: Manchester Marathon
Prior to the race day, Mat had only been running 5k-10k, with the furthest distance he’d ever run being just 17km.
But, with his determination to complete some sort of marathon, Mat decided to take on the challenge – and surprisingly, he managed to complete the 26.2 miles in an incredible four hours and 47 minutes.
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Mat explained that when he joined his mates on the tram, he noticed that they all had proper rucksacks full of drinks and snacks, while he just had a bottle of water, and it was only when he got into the queue that he realised that he was the only person with a Half Marathon sticker on his top.
“I thought something didn’t seem quite right,” he told the MEN.
“Then I started seeing streams of people coming in who had just finished the half marathon [and] I was so embarrassed because lots of people had sponsored me and I didn’t want to let them down, so I went to the information desk and told them what had happened.
“The woman said she could try and change my number and let me run in the marathon and then just dip out half way through – but I wanted to make sure I got the medal.
“I thought if I don’t finish I won’t get it, so I just decided to carry on running.”
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Mat managed to complete the 26.2-mile Manchester Marathon in an incredible four hours and 47 minutes / Credit: Manchester Marathon
While admitting that it was “very painful towards the end” and that the last five miles in particular were “incredibly hard”, Mat said that the Manchester public were amazing and that he’s never seen that amount of people out on the streets.
He comically added: “I think I might try and do a marathon again next year.
“But knowing me, I will probably end up signing up to the wrong thing and doing a triathlon or something.”
Serving as yet another fitting tribute from his beloved football club, who already honoured the late, great, Manc musician at Old Trafford, it’s rumoured to launch later this year.
Snapped alongside United’s current third kit for the 25/26 season, the rumoured ‘lifestyle’ jersey is apparently coming very soon.
This pair of images has seemingly confirmed the claims made by trusted online kit source, Footy Headlines, who specialise in sharing pictures of the football shirts, boots and more, who had already reported on the release in 2025.
As you can see, not only does the design feature a striking blue take on the band’s iconic album art style (expanded from an original painting by guitarist John Squire), but if you look closely, it also features the band’s iconic song and overriding slogan, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, built into the crest.
You can see the rest of the existing Stone Roses collection in full down below.
We’re sure there are loads of other little details besides the twist on the badge still to be spotted, but for now, all we know is that the world-famous sporting franchise is continuing to capitalise even further on The Stone Roses connection.
Since the last batch of officially licensed adidas x Stone Roses merch quickly became collector’s items, we can only assume that this latest shirt won’t be the only new addition.
For instance, one user already commented, ‘Where’s the bucket hat?’
As for Manchester United, they’re no doubt looking to generate as much revenue as possible after having to pay another sizeable severance package following the sacking of Ruben Amorim – the question is, who is going to be next?
Chester Zoo is hiring a ‘passionate’ new keeper to look after its elephants
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is currently hiring someone to look after its elephants, and you can get your applications in the for role now.
If you’re after a career change in 2026, then surely it doesn’t get much better than this?
The UK’s biggest charity zoo currently has a vacancy open for a Keeper to join the team looking after the elephants on a permanent basis, and for the right candidate, this offers a fantastic opportunity to work with a breeding group of Asian elephants, leading in the development of science and welfare for the species.
Chester Zoo is responsible for one of Europe’s largest and most-diverse animal communities, and this is your chance to be a part of what makes it so special.
Chester Zoo is hiring a ‘passionate’ new keeper to look after its elephants / Credit: Chester Zoo
For this full-time role, the zoo is looking for an ‘enthusiastic, dynamic, and motivated’ individual to provide extensive knowledge and proven expertise in caring for and managing the elephant species within a zoological environment.
“We work hard because we love animals, we care about nature, we love Chester Zoo, and despite all the recent challenges thrown at us, we still want to be the best zoo in the world,” Chester Zoo said in its online advertisement for the new role.
“If you think you can help us to achieve that, then we’d love to hear from you.”
The ideal candidate for this job will have a HND or degree level qualification in a zoological related science or equivalent experience, and have proven experience in the care and management of large mammal species like elephants, as well as the highest standards of exhibitory.
They’ll also have ‘outstanding’ observational skills with excellent attention to detail.
The role of ‘Keeper – Elephants’ is 40 hours per week, with the working week being 10 days out of 14, including weekends and bank holidays as rostered, and the salary being £26,500 per annum.
Working at Chester Zoo comes with an ‘excellent benefits package’ and loads of perks too, including a generous pension scheme, 33 days paid holidays per year, a healthcare plan, pension scheme, a staff pass so you can visit the zoo for free, and complimentary tickets for friends and family.
Emily Sergeant -
13th October 2021 
