Comic Relief has a new hero, and after his ultra-distance and ultra-hard fundraising feats, Jamie Laing has officially had a section of the 2025 Manchester Marathon named after him.
He’s come a long way from the days of McVitie’s fortune and Made in Chelsea moments.
The English TV personality turned presenter, podcaster, and businessman embarked on an unbelievable ultra-marathon running challenge last month, setting himself the task of running a total of 150 miles for Comic Relief. With no training…
Making his way from London all the way to Manchester and in Salford Quays, specifically, where the BBC coverage team and thousands of spectators met him with rapturous applause, he completed the unbelievable distance and was in tears at the finish. Here’s the moment he did it:
Full of emotion after not only having smashed the five ultra marathons in five days – he had never run anywhere near this distance before in his life – but after raising nearly £3 million for the cause and counting, there were hugs and plenty of tears all around.
Laing described the experience as “the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life” and said that a big part of the journey was battling through and drawing attention to the issues surrounding mental health, admitting, “I have suffered, and I do suffer, and that’s OK.”
Now, while we don’t have that power at present, we’ll have to settle for the next best thing, which comes courtesy of the Adidas Manchester Marathon.
With Laing having officially completed his consecutive ultra marathon challenge, the organisers have named a section of this year’s route through Greater Manchester in his honour.
Come on, how cool is that?
The moment Jamie Laing ran 150 miles and cemented himself in Comic Relief and Manchester Marathon history (Credit: The Manc Group)
Finally confirmed via a spot on BBC Radio 1 this week, Mancs taking on the biggest run of the year will run through ‘Radio 1’s Laing Lane’ down Chester Road when the race rolls around on Sunday, 27 April.
Even more excitingly, Laing‘s achievement has also seen a limited number of marathon places – 12 to be specific – released too, so anyone who missed out has an extra chance of having their own hero moment.
Naturally, all proceeds are going straight to the Comic Relief cause.
Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation) UK, the country’s leading mass participation events company, said of the achievement: “Jamie’s challenge is nothing short of heroic – five ultramarathons in five days is no easy feat!
“Not only has he crossed the finish line, but he’s also raised an incredible £2.7 million for Comic Relief. If he did pass through our 2025 route, we’ll be proud to name that stretch after him – a lasting tribute to his endurance, energy, and impact.”
🚨12 PLACES UP FOR GRABS! 🚨 To celebrate Jamie Laing’s feat, we’re naming a section of our route LAING LANE! 🎉 We’re also opening up 12 places for the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon, 100% of the entry fee goes to Comic Relief.
We’re just over a month away from the 2025 race, the fourth-largest in all of Europe, and with a couple of members of The Manc team taking it on again this year, we cannot wait.
A new finish line has already been announced for this year’s route, and while we can’t tell you exactly which part of the Manchester Marathon will be named after Jamie Laing just yet, we promise to give it an extra pump when we pass through wherever it is.
It’s also worth reminding you that the general public can still donate to his incredible Red Nose Day fundraiser right HERE.
Greater Manchester’s running culture continues to flourish with more clubs, events and representation than ever. You just love to see it.
Benjamin Šeško quote resurfaces as Manchester United switch sole focus to pursuit of Slovenia star
Danny Jones
Slovenia striker Benjamin Šeško is now considered the primary transfer target for Manchester United for this summer window, as per multiple reports, and with the links only growing stronger as a quote relating to him and former RB Salzburg forward Erling Haaland has cropped back up.
Now on the books at the franchise club’s German counterpart in Leipzig, Šeško is one of the most highly sought-after talents in Europe at present, showing not only huge potential and a unique profile but already some impressive returns when it comes to goal contributions.
Although Haaland is ahead in terms of numbers, they do bear some resemblance in terms of height, physicality and speed for their size, and while they barely came across each other in the Red Bull setup – Šeško being loaned out to fellow Austrian side Liefering – they have drawn plenty of comparisons.
In fact, according to the 22-year-old himself, some feel he might just be “better” than the Norwegian phenomenon. At least that’s what some teammates and former colleagues are claimed to have said.
The retired defensive midfielder elaborated that Šeško was arguably the more natural all-round athlete, detailing that he has always been “smooth with the ball, very good technique, good finishing, and he jumps so high; very, very good with the head – it’s unbelievable.”
Aufhauser went on to add, however: “Erling was mentally a monster and better at the same age. This is the last five, 10 per cent that Benji has to get.”
It was also noted that while the emerging prospect may have just edged out the now fully-fledged Manchester City superstar in some departments at an early age, the big number nine always managed to find the back of the net more often.
He’s certainly kept that up in the years since then…
A 2022 quote from Šeško is all well and good, but Haaland has proved plenty of paper in just a few short years at the Etihad.
It’s also worth noting that the two attackers are not just pretty equally quick in a straight line, but both as tall as each other, clocking in at exactly 6ft 4in, with the Man City man barely three years his senior.
On the other hand, Šeško is known for keeping up multiple sports besides just football (basketball, in particular),
Besides their position, he told Amazon Prime Video Sport that he believes there is a lot of value not just in being sized up against the likes of Haaland but in trying to take cues from other pros in training, having also named a previous Red Devil himself as a key role model: one Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Most of this talk probably sounds all well and good to most United fans, but another key stumbling block in terms of a move for the budding young goalscorer is RB Leipzig’s supposed asking price, as the Bundesliga outfit is said to value him in the region of £70m.
Nevertheless, The Athletic now writes that INEOS and head coach Ruben Amorim are now solely focused on trying to sign Šeško, having previously narrowed it down to him and Premier League-proven Ollie Watkins.
Even if they get it done, the question is, will the confident forward suit English football as much as Watkins or dare we say Haaland – and furthermore, if they do, what might this mean for Manchester United’s current centre forwards?
Ruben Amorim and Rasmus Højlund both make stances clear on forward’s future at Man United
Danny Jones
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim and striker Rasmus Højlund have both made their stances clear when it comes to the forward’s future, with question marks looming over whether or not he will stay at the club this season.
The Danish international opened the scoring in the Red Devils’ third pre-season fixture on their current US tour as they went on to beat Bournemouth 4-1 in their Premier League Summer Series clash.
Adding a glancing nod on the end of the man of the match, Patrick Dorgu’s cross, Højlund headed home the first, but also impressed with some key link-up play in transition, with Amorim arguing that Man United “are playing better because he’s playing better”, despite lingering links with a move away.
Speaking to various media outlets after the full-time whistle, the number nine made his feelings on the somewhat uncertain situation “very clear”, assuring that he wants to remain at Old Trafford and “fight for [his spot] whatever happens.”
Reiterating that he just wants to “keep working hard” and “stay focused” on the job at hand, the ex-Atalanta marksman admitted that the pressure of being the main and sometimes only goal threat when arriving at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
Speaking to the BBC’s Simon Stone, he said he “could have done with some help in terms of sharing the games a bit, especially in the beginning”, but went on to reinforce that he is more willing than ever to get stuck in, insisting: “Competition is fine with me, it sharpens me. I’m more than ready.”
The centre-forward, who is still just 22, also believes he’s still learning plenty about how to improve his game, adding, “I think you can see it in my game. I’m starting to develop and become even better in the basics” – something his manager also commented on in his own post-match duties.
Amorim, who is now eight months into the rather big job, told club media in the press conference following the promising victory over the Cherries that he was impressed with both his many others overall play compared to the previous campaign already.
Most importantly for the youngster, as well, although the Portuguese head coach wouldn’t be drawn into question regarding whether Højlund will stay at United or be sold to potentially fund a move for a new striker, he made it plain that he’s more than happy keeping him in his squad.
"I'm really happy with Rasmus, I don't know what is going to happen until the market is closed"
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim was asked about the future of Rasmus Hojlund if the club bring in a new striker 🔴 pic.twitter.com/C9yLaepGU7
“For me, it’s more than a goal,” said the 40-year-old. “For him, it’s more important the goal, and for the fans maybe […] we need goals, but the way he’s linking the play in this moment, the way he’s fighting for the balls”, paying extra compliment to how he helped “connect” and “support” from midfield to attack.
Elsewhere, INEOS are reportedly looking to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, having reportedly honed their sights on either one of two main targets, both of whom could potentially lead the line ahead of Ramus and Joshua Zirkzee while the Dane continues to mature.
In fact, Højlund himself was keen to remind his critics that he’s “still very young”, stating: “People forget that sometimes. “I’m only 22. Not every striker scores 100 goals by that age.
You can hear what Amorim, Dorgu and others made of their outing in Chicago HERE and watch the full highlights down below.
Do you think Højlund should/will stay at Manchester United?
Danny Jones -
22nd March 2025 
