Ever wondered if you could outrun a train? No, seriously, overinflated egos and opinions of athletic prowess aside, you can genuinely race an old steam train as part of one of the most scenic running events in the North West.
Back for 2024 and its eighth edition following seven sell-out years, the Race the Train running event takes place this summer and will see Greater Mancs, Lancashire locals and people from all over the North West come to see if they can beat an old school locomotive on foot.
Running alongside a traditional steam train along the East Lancashire Railway and passing through multiple stations, you’ll get to take in the scenery all whilst putting your fitness to the test.
Better still, it’s scheduled for 10 June, so hopefully it should be a lovely sunny day. Sign us up.
Credit: Chris Arnold (via East Lancs Railway)/Mad Bull Events
Attracting thousands of joggers, dedicated runners and spectators every year, the Race the Train event has genuinely become one of the biggest and best races in the region, welcoming people of all abilities to come along and give the charming route a go.
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Setting off from Bury Bolton Street Station in the borough’s town centre, you’ll set off going North where the train will change tracks and you’ll then run south alongside the legendary East Lancs railway lines and the River Irwell before finishing up at Rawtenstall Station in the Lancashire town of the same name.
With a beautiful and varied route with a good amount of challenge involved too, the 11-mile route only gets more popular each year, but organisers Mad Bull Events are also careful not to oversell the event so there’s still plenty of room for all runners.
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Also, it might only be a little thing but the race starts on the sound of the stream train’s whistle — a nice touch. Here’s a look at how the Race the Train event from 2021.
With a minimum age requirement of 16 years, there’s room for plenty of runners of varying ages and abilities to get involved; plus, one of the best parts is that friends and family can ride the train with a perfect view to cheer them on loved ones HERE. Children’s tickets are just £11 and adults are £16.50.
Online entries for the event will close at 11:45am on Monday, 10 June 2024 and places cost just £30 with the admin fee included. We highly doubt it but if there are any spare places spots available you can join in on the day for just a fiver. You can book your place HERE.
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Registration will open at 9am on platform three at Bury Train Station and will close at 10:25. There will also be a bag drop at the same location with all of your stuff being loaded onto the train ready to pick when you’re all said and done at Rawtenstall Station.
There may or may not be a member or two of The Manc team going along to run the Race the Train event this year too, so hopefully we’ll see you at the finish line to pick up our medals and race shirts.
Featured Images — East Lancashire Railway/Mad Bull Events
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
15th March 2024 
