The running boom in Greater Manchester is getting bigger every year but for lots of locals, it’s been a regular pastime for much longer and some events like this women’s trail race in Salford have been going for more than thirty years.
Jogging and road racing are one thing but trail running is a discipline all of its own and with such wonderful landscapes to traverse all over the North West let alone just the 10 boroughs, thousands get stuck into it every year.
With that in mind, 2025 marks the 33rd edition of the annual Ladies Trail Race hosted by Swinton Running Club, which sees hordes of female runners turn up to take part and, most importantly, have fun every single year.
Taking place this spring, the latest event makes use of Salford’s largest conservation area and is expecting yet another solid turnout.
Aiming to provide a welcoming space for all women, regardless of background or experience, the Ladies Trail Race gives Mancs a chance to run through some of the most stunning parts of Salford.
The race is a single-lap course spanning five miles that passes the lake at Old Warke Dam and includes sections of Greater Manchester’s famous Bridgewater Canal as well as the beauty of Worsley Woods.
Alternating between trails, woodland terrain and sections of tarmac path, the ease of traversal does fluctuate but is still considered a very accessible level of difficulty, meaning no one should be put off.
Having run through this particular area of Salford ourselves separate from the event itself, we can confirm it’s a wonderful route and a brilliant way to immerse yourself in nearby nature too.
Better yet, it’s a fantastic female-focused event in a space that can often feel intimidating for some.
As Swinton Runners put it, “It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in races and we want to bring women together to push their boundaries and gain a sense of achievement.”
Credit: SRC
For context, when running-based campaign group SheRaces took a poll of 400 female runners to see if they’d be interested in a women-only race, the response was conclusive: 87% said they would – sadly the figures in
Speaking to The Manc, one of the event’s founding members, Margaret McClelland, told us: “I was there back in 1991 when we started the run.
“It was the brainchild of one of our members, Marie Henderson who found when she joined that the club, which even at the time had a high percentage of women runners compared to most clubs, that she enjoyed the camaraderie, the joy of running together with a supportive ‘family’.
“The club had hosted the ‘Women’s Own 10km’ run for a number of years […] Marie thought that we should get our own race back up again and whilst the men were very much involved it was a race for women, organised by women.
“The aim was to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for women to run, whatever their ability or goals. The first, last and everyone in between is as important as each other and for them to keep going, showing what running can do in terms of feel good, with the bonus of it not costing very much to do.”
It’s events like this and the strong base of female runners here in Greater Manchester that have helped pave the way for contemporaries like the upcoming Women’s Run Series by RunThrough to come to Heaton Park.
You can watch the 25th-anniversary video made for the City of Salford Women’s Run down below, and if you’re interested in taking part in the 2025 Ladies Trail Race, it takes place on Sunday, 4 May with a bright and early 9am start time.
Harry Kane tears up as he honours England’s first Muslim player
Danny Jones
Three Lions skipper Harry Kane teared up as he honoured Djed Spence with an emotional speech on his England debut, becoming the first Muslim player ever to represent the senior national team.
Another historic night for sport in this country.
In case you didn’t tune in, the result against Serbia was a thrilling 5-0 victory, which saw Thomas Tuchel’s side maintain their unbeaten run, with a five-star performance serving as the perfect way to mark five wins from as many fixtures.
But, again, the headline story of the night was Djed Spence celebrating his faith in the best way possible – not to mention England captain Harry Kane paying sincere tribute to the history-making 25-year-old:
Pretty much everything you see of Harry Kane points towards him being a genuinely sound bloke. He could have just passed that cap over to Djed Spence with empty platitudes but you can tell he really cares.
As you can see, sharing some heartfelt and inspirational words as a former Lilywhite himself, ‘King’ Kane – who was first given the armband back in 2018 ahead of the Euros – spoke highly of the Tottenham Hotspur star following his inaugural national team cap.
Confessing that he himself felt emotional speaking on behalf of Spence, the 32-year-old striker recalled first seeing the wing-back arrive at Spurs just a few short years ago before his eventual departure for Bayern Munich in 2023.
He also shared, “I know what it takes to get here”, and saw what it took on his end to make those same steps forward in his career and ultimately break into the England squad, adding, “credit to you and your family – you deserve this, mate.”
As for the former Nottingham Forest defender himself, writing on social media, Spence said: “Today is arguably the greatest and proudest day of my life. Honoured to make my England debut.
“A day I’ve dreamt of all my life and now has become a reality. GOD IS THE GREATEST! #GODSPEED“
While there have been many individuals from the Islamic faith throughout the footballing pyramid and, indeed, the FA‘s national team youth ranks over the years, Djed Spence becoming the first senior capped Muslim player in our country’s history is nothing short of an incredible milestone.
Speaking to the media after the game, which also saw Harry Kane surpass Sir Bobby Moore as England’s fifth-most capped player of all-time (now on 109), the London-born athlete admitted: “I was surprised because I didn’t know I was the first, so it’s a blessing.
“It’s good to make history and hopefully inspire young kids around the world that they can make it as well. They can do what I am doing.”
Here’s hoping he can fly the flag for British Muslims throughout domestic football and help generate further impact on the sporting world beyond that.
Spanish journalist rubbishes reports of Barcelona debating ending Marcus Rashford’s loan deal early
Danny Jones
Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué has come out to rubbish reports that FC Barcelona have been considering ending Marcus Rashford’s loan deal early.
The well-known football reporter, who regularly works with the likes of Sky Sports, CBS Sports, BBC and more, is one of many to have publicly decried false claims made about the Manchester United loanee, who joined the La Liga giants at the start of this summer.
Barca themselves are also said to have quashed the rumours, with Balagué’s quotes having now been widely circulated online.
Speaking via X over the weekend, the 56-year-old put it simply: that the rumblings are nonsense, reassuring that the club have plenty of faith in his abilities.
Absolutely rubbish that Barcelona is planning to end up early @MarcusRashford loan deal
Barça told his representative that they have a lot of confidence in Rashford’s potential and that they believe he will recover as a top player
As you can see, the Catalan-born RCD Espanyol fan also chose to publicly align himself with former England footballer, Gary Lineker, who has suggested that a targeted and discriminatory narrative against Rashford has developed in recent years.
Though he didn’t state it verbatim, Balagué added: “No more to say, apart from the fact I agree with Gary Lineker and his treatment by some media.”
In case you were unaware of what he’s precisely referring to, Lineker said in a chat with the Man United forward on his The Rest Is Football podcast that he believes Rashford “wouldn’t face the same criticism if he was white.”
Having also made the move from Britain to Barcelona back in 1986 (spending a total of three seasons there), the 64-year-old knows plenty about adjusting from playing in one country to another.
You can see the interview in full here.
The interview was conducted shortly after Rashford’s loan deal was completed, and he had plenty to say about his boyhood team.
Responding to Balagué’s social media post, one commenter wrote: “This nonsense is coming from racist journalists in England who refuse to leave [Rashford] alone. They bullied him when he was in England, especially during times when he seemed unhappy.
“Now, these haters have followed him to Barcelona. Rashford is one of the kindest players in the world, but these clowns just won’t let him live his life in peace.”
It is worth noting, however, that the original reports in question and ultimately aggregated by media across Europe and here in the UK come from a domestic outlet, El Nacional.
While he is yet to rediscover the form of his peak years in United red at the Camp Nou, he is now entering what are traditionally seen as the ‘prime’ period in a footballer’s career and did show more positive signs on loan at Aston Villa during the second half of the previous campaign.
At 27, there is still plenty of time to turn things around; that being said, after being brought back into the national team and with his parent club holding an option to buy clause for around a reported £20 million, the question remains whether he will be returning to Old Trafford at the end of the term. Speaking of…
Danny Jones -
12th March 2025 
