But Sir Mo has now said he needs another month of training before he can run at a competitive level.
He previously won the Great Manchester Run 10km race in 2018.
The Great Manchester Run. Credit: Supplied
Last week, he was beaten in the Vitality London 10k by club runner Ellis Cross, eventually finishing in second place.
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Sir Mo said: “I had a below par run at the London 10k last weekend and feel that I need another month of training to get back to a competitive level.
“I don’t like to cancel races but my fitness is not yet back to where I want it to be.”
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The Great Manchester Run. Credit: Supplied
Chief executive of the Great Run Company, Paul Foster said: “Of course it’s disappointing not to have Sir Mo on the start line and we’re sure he will be missed by those turning out to support and those watching from home, but we understand his decision.
“We’re expecting a really exciting women’s race, with an on-form Eilish McColgan taking on Kenyan powerhouses Hellen Obiri and Ruth Chepngetich.
“We’re still looking forward to a competitive event in the men’s elite race, three-time Oceanic record holder and four-time Diamond League winner, Australian Stewart McSweyn, will be lining up against his countryman, Jack Rayner, the Australian National 10,000m record holder.
“Jake & Zane Robertson, brothers from New Zealand and holders of the countries two fastest 10,000m times will also compete.”
The Great Manchester Run will take place on Sunday 22 May and will be televised live on the BBC.
The event is open to runners of all ages and abilities, with entertainment zones throughout including the new The Run Thru Madchester Zone, which features a ‘wall of sound’, power up boards and super soaker water pistols.
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.
Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Daisy Jackson -
9th May 2022 
