Manchester Half 2025 guide – route, waves, start times and everything you need to know

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Manchester Half marathon guide 2025 everything you need to know

The Manchester Half, the largest of this marathon distance in the entire North West, is back for 2025 this weekend, and literally tens of thousands of Brits and more are set to descend upon 0161 for the big race. And that’s just the runners…

It’s estimated that 26,000 participants are set to lace up their running shoes for the ninth edition of the Manchester Half, which also marks the third and final year of their ‘Express Yourself’ campaign.

This year’s event is also expected to raise £1.5 million for various organisations, with thousands running in support of partnered charities like the Alzheimer’s Society, Cancer Research UK and The Christie. One of the best days of the year and all for a good cause.

With all that in mind, whether you’re taking part or just spectating, we want to do everything we can to help to get ready for the event; here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Manchester Half.

Manchester Half 2025 guide – all the important info

What time does the Manchester Half start?

Elite wheelchair participants will set off first at 8:55am, followed promptly by the elite wave at 9:00am.

Following this, the rest of the participants will get going in roughly 10-minute intervals, depending on their allocated colour, with staggered waves setting off up until approximately 10:48am.

You can see all the waves and their relevant start times below:

Credit: MCR Half (supplied)

The Manchester Half route: start and finish line + key checkpoints

Access to the start process is adjacent to Trafford Town Hall; those wishing to use the bag drop can enter the Emirates Old Trafford (Lancashire Cricket Club) stadium via gates 5 and 10.

Marshals will then direct participants to the start line from both locations.

On the route, participants will head towards the city before looping back, passing through Stretford,
Sale, Chorlton-cum-Hardy and eventually the finish line back along Talbot Road.

The full participant guide, containing start times, a detailed breakdown of the route and more, can be viewed here, but you can see a helpful map of the Manchester Half route down below.

Where are the toilet locations, water and nutrition stations on the MCR Half?

As you can see, there will be a total of four drink stations along the half-marathon course. Isotonic Energy Gels from Applied Nutrition will be available at stops two and three.

Similarly, there will be portaloo toilets at each of the water stations, as well as plenty at the Event Village for those pre-race precautions (time that morning coffee carefully, folks…)

Road closures for the Manchester Half

Road closures will be in effect along and around the half-marathon route starting from early on Saturday, 11 October.

Those affected should allow extra time for journeys, as open roads in the surrounding areas will be busy.

Many bus services will also be diverted due to these closures, and you can also expect added congestion further out into Greater Manchester, especially towards Trafford.

Full details of road closures can be found HERE, and you can consult an interactive map below:

How to get to Event Village for the Manchester Half

The tram network will allow both runners and spectators the best access to and from the event.

For a quieter journey, the Imperial War Museum stop is a 15-minute walk to the Event Village. The closest tram stations are Old Trafford (a 3-minute walk) and Trafford Bar (a 10-minute walk), but these will be very busy and will likely have significant queues.

As mentioned, buses will be disrupted by road closures, meaning those arriving in Manchester by train are advised to take the tram directly to the Event Village if and wherever possible.

Participants are advised to avoid driving to the event due to the increased level of traffic already brought about by the well-attended annual event.

For those who do plan on driving, however, there is no official parking, but Manchester United do offer pre-paid parking spaces at Old Trafford. They are available for £18 when booked in advance.

You can find further information and parking recommendations online.

Make sure to double-check your Manchester Half guide on race morning, too. (Credit: Supplied)

How to track runners and watch the 2025 Manchester Half remotely?

Once again, countless numbers are expected to line the Manchester streets in support of those running the MCR Half, but for those who can only cheer on from afar, the race will be available to view via livestream on the full Manchester Marathon YouTube channel.

If you’re looking to see where a participant is along the route, you can find more help on how to best utilise all the recommended tracking features like the ‘Find My’ app, ‘share my location’ on WhatsApp and the Strava beacon function HERE.

Supporter hub and dedicated cheer zones

As for where is best to cheer on the 26k or so legends running the Manchester Half, the temporarily re-named Deansgate ‘Inter-rave’ (Deansgate-Castlefield Interchange) will see hordes of spectators amping up the atmosphere at mile 1 with a Cybertruck DJ and ‘kick-off cam showing live starts.

Over at Wharfside, the ‘Buzz Hub’ will enable spectators can see participants twice on their journey past
the iconic Old Trafford stadium, before heading toward Stretford. There will also be inflatable dancing
bees and a DJ.

Other prime viewing spots include Stretford, Sale and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The Event Village at LCCC will also have a large screen showing live finish line coverage, as well as food outlets and activities from partners for everyone to enjoy.

It’s highly recommended that supporters avoid going directly to the finish line, where viewing will be
limited due to large crowds and one-way systems.

Easy bit of advice that often gets forgotten for you here: organise a specific meeting point to reunite with those runners beforehand – saves a lot of time and faff among the crowds.

What/who else to look out for at this year’s Manchester Half…

Other things to keep in mind include the official Manchester Half shakeout run, which is being hosted by lead sponsors PUMA and Runna, and takes place the official Manchester Half shakeout run will take place on Saturday, 11 October.

Having set up another pop-up for this year’s event, where top-end running trainers, merch and other goodies can be picked up, they’re just one of many brands getting involved with the wider 2025 Supporter Hub.

For instance, ERDINGER’s – who will be handing out alcohol free beers for those crossing the finish line – are also serving as this year’s team of pacers.

If you’re looking to get a certain time in your race, as well as assembling with the rest of your wave at the start line, look out for your relevant pacer at the start on the day.

That should be just about all the key details you need to know for this year’s Manchester Half-marathon guide, but if in doubt, you can always check the event website for more info.

Last but not least, make sure you get a good breakfast in, prepare your race kit all ready the night before, get plenty of rest and drink even more water.

Best of luck to all those running, not that anyone needs it – you’re going to absolutely SMASH it and we’ll see you at the pub for plenty of celebrating afterwards!

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied)