It’s been a few days since the 2025 Manchester Half, and news of personal bests and records being matched/broken continues to flood in, but nothing quite beats the fastest caterpillar EVER getting themselves in the Guinness book.
Yes, we did say caterpillar.
In case you have no idea what we’re talking about (it’s pretty much what it says on the tin), a caterpillar refers to when multiple runners stick themselves in a daft bit of fancy dress and race in a line while joined together in a suit that looks like, well, you get the gist…
Fun and wholesome in itself, right? Indeed, better still, though, it appears as though this particular group of fundraisers not only completed this year’s Manchester Half-marathon with the added challenge of running behind one another in a caterpillar outfit, but have just smashed the Guinness World Record.
As you can see, the four top blokes – Matthew Athersmith, Eddie Evans, Andrew Cairns and Jimmy Craig – didn’t just get the 13.1-mile feat completed quickly; they were absolutely RAPID.
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The 2025 MCR Half saw plenty of people breaching the 90-minute mark or going even faster, but we were not expecting to see the familiar caterpillar fancy dress sight finishing in 1:14:08.
Utterly ridiculous, boys.
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Other notable bits of history made, besides the largest ever crowd of 28k racers and more than £1.6 million raised for different charities, included runner Sophie Godley smashing the women’s record for the fastest time while carrying (*checks notes*) 13 golf clubs. Silly and inspiring – like it.
Although they’re still waiting for full confirmation from the official Guinness World Records organisation, the Manchester Half media team seemingly verified that they beat the previous caterpillar half-marathon record by nearly 15 whole minutes.
Dubbing themselves ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, the group of mates from Skipton in North Yorkshire ran in memory of one of Matthew’s friends, Darren, who sadly died back in 2022.
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Speaking to the BBC following the remarkable achievement, Matt said: “Darren was so loved by everyone; we just didn’t know what was going on beneath the surface.”
Applauding the “unbelievable” and incredibly uplifting atmosphere on the day, they were one of many participants who added on extra caveats to the already impressive fitness and fundraising challenge.
It was nevertheless an emotional day for all of them. For instance, one quarter of the caterpillar, Jimmy, also had a heavily pregnant wife waiting at home that he had to race back to.
Generating money for male mental health organisation and suicide prevention charity, Andy’s Man Club (AMC), which has continued to grow year on year, they went on to add: “It’s OK to talk, and people shouldn’t suffer in silence. We all would have tried to help.”
Andy’s Man Club outposts are popping up all over the place, including many here in Greater Manchester, so for anyone struggling, please know that you are NOT alone and can always speak to someone. If you’re interested in giving AMC a go, you can find your nearest support group HERE.
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Last but not least, for those of you local to the region who are ready to reward yourselves now that the big runs are all said and done, look no further.
Calling all Manchester runners: if you've boxed off all your races for the year, it's time to reward yourself properly – with a boogie, of course 🪩💃
Featured Images — Manchester Half (supplied)/Andy’s Man Club
Sport
Erling Haaland dresses up as Santa and hands out Christmas presents in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has doubled as Father Christmas in his latest YouTube stunt, dressing up as Santa and handing out presents to local kids in the new episode.
We’re starting to think he might be one of the most likeable footballers on the planet right now.
The Norwegian footballer recently surpassed Alan Shearer’s ‘fastest to 100 goals record’ in the Premier League and has been well and truly back to his best as Man City continue to rediscover their form, but the big blonde number nine has been delighting both on and off the pitch of late.
For starters, even before any of the season’s givings began, we got the giggle just from our first glimpse of the thumbnail.
Yes, Haaland definitely has a habit of leaning into the humorous side of his celebrity status, having already dressed up as the Joker for Halloween in one of the first episodes published on his still relatively new YouTube channel.
However, the 25-year-old got up to some more heartwarming activities this time around, swapping the face paint, green wig and stripey suit for a red coat, hat, some little glasses and a big white beard.
With the video itself showing him getting into character and loading his car with a sack full of presents, he then goes on to visit multiple houses to dish out the surprise gifts.
While the title and description state that he drove around the streets of 0161, it’s hard to tell where exactly he went, but we’d guess it was more around Alderley Edge and/or the Cheshire side of the Greater Manchester borders.
One particular interaction between the disguised Blue and a young Red certainly produced a harmless little bit of comedy…
Either way, on the whole, this particular instalment was more wholesome than it was funny, and it’s always nice to see sports personalities and famous people spreading kindness.
Obviously, not everyone can afford to be as generous as a Premier League and world-famous international athlete, but it’s nevertheless a nice touch.
Featured Images — Erling Haaland (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
Kobbie Mainoo’s brother sends three-word message to Man United after Old Trafford stunt
Danny Jones
Kobbie Mainoo’s brother, Jordan Kwadwo Osei Mainoo-Hames, has caused quite a stir online after sending a simple but definitive three-word message to Manchester United and head coach Ruben Amorim, in the form of a publicity stunt.
In case you missed the blockbuster eight-goal thriller at Old Trafford on Monday night, the scoreline wasn’t the only headline on the night.
Man United managed to give up their one-nil lead right on two separate occasions, and despite clawing their way back to 4-3 with just over 10 minutes of regulation time left on the clock, ultimately went on to concede an equaliser in the 84th minute.
Despite Kobbie Mainoo’s receiving a rapturous round of cheers and applause when he was subbed on in the second half, not to mention adding some real dynamism in the middle of the park, any notion of his contribution has now been overshadowed by his sibling.
As you can see, Jordan Mainoo-Hames – who found fame after appearing on series five of reality TV show Love Island (2019) – took the opportunity to capitalise on the ongoing narrative regarding Kobbie and his relationship with the current United boss.
For months now, there has been much speculation around whether the Stockport-born youth product will stay at his boyhood club or leave in the next couple of transfer windows, given that he’s only been afforded limited minutes under the Portuguese manager.
Amorim, who has collected just 24 Premier League points since arriving last November, maintains that he recognises Mainoo’s but, crucially, sees him as competing for the same position as Bruno Fernandes.
Now a model for a number of big brands, he’s no stranger to posing in clothes, but in this case, it all centred around a simple black t-shirt simply reading ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ in plain white text, seemingly imitating Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ font.
Safe to say that despite catching the eye of plenty in and around the stadium, as well as countless more online, it hasn’t gone down particularly well with a good chunk of the supporters.
Even neutrals have hopped on social media to label the stunt everything from “embarrassing” and causing an “unnecessary” distraction to urging the 20-year-old to distance himself from the stunt and/or his half-brother.
Utter nonsense. His brother turning up at Old Trafford in a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ tee is pure embarrassment. Clout-chasing disguised as support, when the player’s interests should be the priority. We’ve seen this playbook from families before… https://t.co/9p5uognVsX
For many fans, the incident was reminiscent of the Alejandro Garnacho situation: another promising youngster whose family’s outspoken nature on social media, along with his own, ultimately soured his relationship with Amorim to the point of leaving the club this past summer.
Rather notably, Garnacho ruffled even more feathers earlier this month after responding to a question about any potential regrets over how his time at the club ended…
As for his former fellow academy graduate, it is looking increasingly likely that he may at least leave on loan this January in search of more regular football, especially with the 2026 World Cup looming.
Whether you’re a Red or not, we’re interested to hear what you make of the whole mess. Let us know down in the comments.
You can see the highlights from the frankly bonkers game against Bournemouth down below.
Danny Jones -
16th October 2025 
