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.”
Salford City FC reveal new club crest ahead of return to orange kit
Danny Jones
Salford City FC have finally revealed their new club crest, paying homage to both their historic and present badge, as they prepare to wear predominantly orange kits once again.
The Greater Manchester club are enjoying a healthy injection not only of investment but ideas and, indeed, a decent bit of form in turn.
Currently sitting sixth in the League Two standings and looking more than capable of scrapping with other third division hopefuls around them in the table, the end of this season could be the start of a fresh chapter for the Salford sporting institution.
Regardless of whether they go up following the conclusion of this campaign or not, the newly restructured ownership group is certainly looking to make this the start of a new era.
Officially debuting the new Salford City badge in the teaser video shared above on Tuesday, 23 December, you could call it an early Christmas gift for Ammies supporters.
Writing on social media, the club said: “Our heritage. Our culture. Inspiring our future. From next season, Salford City FC will adopt a bold new identity, playing in orange with a new Club crest.
“Following recent consultations, 72% of fans voted to adopt this new Club crest from the start of the 2026-27 season.”
A lengthier statement continues: “The new Crest comes after extensive consultation with fans over the past several months.
“It was designed in conjunction with renowned NYC-based agency MILK, and in recent weeks, fans have heard from co-owners Gary Neville and Sir David Beckham about the potential opportunities the new crest can offer the Club – from building our fan base globally to exciting new merchandise products.
This latest unveiling comes after confirmation of the club reverting to an orange-led colour scheme and home shirt.
In addition to hinting at plans to once again upgrade the Peninsula Stadium, the official club statement also digs into the inspiration behind the various features included in the latest redesign.
They are as follows:
A rampant Lion that has featured on crests of the past, breaking out of the badge, refusing to be contained. It captures the fierce, on-field attitude expected from a Salford team. Relentless in the pursuit of success, never held back.
A new Salford rose, inspired by the iconic Salford Lads Club, symbolises enthusiasm, desire, passion and admiration.
Concentric circles represent a bird’s eye view of the Salford Gasworks.
A typeface crafted from the custom lettering found in Salford’s streets.
You see a more detailed breakdown of the thought process behind the various features down below; it does make for an interesting little read.
Credit: Salford City (via club website)
Salford famously switched to red when Manchester United’s ‘Class of 92’ legends bought the club in partnership with businessman Peter Lim well over a decade ago.
Despite the initial takeover seeing the struggling side find their way back into the EFL following multiple promotions, The Ammies have lost momentum in recent years, and many die-hard matchgoers still take issue with the colour change (the notion being that they were reborn in the shadow of Man United).
Fast forward to now, and they reiterated that the plans – which follow the aforementioned official consultation held earlier this year – will see new insignia installed in time for next season, not only on the latest batch of kits but around their soon-to-be further renovated home ground.
With Salford‘s rugby league community also set for its next iteration as of the 2026 season, it’s all change in Greater Manchester’s second city.
Top 10 most disliked Christmas foods revealed – and sprouts aren’t number one
Emily Sergeant
If there’s one thing for certain, a lot of food gets consumed at Christmas.
Foodies look forward to the festive season all year long, and it’s not hard to see why, as for many people, Christmas is just as much about the food as it is anything else, especially as shops and supermarkets tend to go all out with the festive feasting specials – with treats stacked top to bottom on the shelves.
Think turkey, roast potatoes, chocolate, mince pies, and so much more everywhere you look.
But surprisingly, a few of those foods are actually among the most disliked by the younger generations once the festive season rolls around.
A new poll by of 2,000 adults who celebrate Christmas, carried out by Aldi, has found that those born in 1996 or later are apparently “turning their back on” traditional favourites in favour of festive dishes with some sort of “modern twist”.
The top 10 most disliked Christmas foods have been revealed / Credit: Mika Hermans (via Pexels) | GoodFon
Of the traditional favourites, Christmas pudding is one of the least-loved festive foods, along with Christmas cake and trifle – with more than half (56%) of respondents describing them as “dated”.
Despite what many would expect though, number one on the list is not the usual scapegoat of sprouts, as instead it’s mince pies that take the top spot, with the little green vegetables coming in fifth place just behind cranberry sauce at four, Christmas cake in third, and Christmas pudding at two.
Top 10 most disliked Christmas foods
Mince pies – 31%
Christmas pudding – 29%
Christmas cake – 25%
Cranberry sauce – 25%
Brussels sprouts – 24%
Bread sauce – 22%
Chestnuts – 21%
Brandy butter – 20%
Turkey – 20%
Trifle – 19%
So, what else would the youngsters like to see on the festive menu instead then?
According to the poll, he likes of loaded fries, crispy fried chicken, and even pizza are just a few of the things that Gen-Z would most like to be at the table for Christmas dinner this year, whilst cheesecake (33%), chocolate gateau (29%), and ice cream (25%) are among the preferred festive desserts in place of Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.
Additional research from the supermarket found that the main reasons Brits would like to change up Christmas dinner is to fit personal taste preferences better (34%), or to be more inclusive for dietary restrictions (27%).
26% said they want to switch things up just to be more exciting or adventurous in general.
Emily Sergeant -
13th October 2021 
