A Dad from West Didsbury ended up completing the Manchester Marathon in under five hours this past weekend after making a “stupid mistake”.
As mad as it may initially sound, Mat Wheelhouse hadn’t actually planned to run 26 miles when he arrived in Manchester city centre last Sunday clutching a bottle of water and hoping his AirPods wouldn’t run out of charge.
The 38-year-old was unprepared for the challenge he had ahead of him that day, and a big part of that was due to the fact he only had is name down to run half the distance.
Like many people across the globe, Mat had got himself hooked on running during the several COVID-19 lockdowns, and so he signed up for the Manchester Half Marathon with the idea of testing himself and raising worthy funds The Christie in memory of his late father.
But due to what he said was a “stupid mistake”, Mat realised that he’d missed the Half Marathon by hours, and had found himself in a queue full of runners preparing for the full marathon.
Mat said that although he was mortified by his error, he still wanted to keep his commitment to those that had sponsored him on his JustGiving page, so he went to the information centre to see if anything could be done and one of the volunteers then told him that the only option would be to upgrade to the full marathon – which she said she was happy to do for no extra fee.
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Here’s everything you need to know.
The Manchester Marathon and Half Marathon took place on Sunday 10 October / Credit: Manchester Marathon
Prior to the race day, Mat had only been running 5k-10k, with the furthest distance he’d ever run being just 17km.
But, with his determination to complete some sort of marathon, Mat decided to take on the challenge – and surprisingly, he managed to complete the 26.2 miles in an incredible four hours and 47 minutes.
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Mat explained that when he joined his mates on the tram, he noticed that they all had proper rucksacks full of drinks and snacks, while he just had a bottle of water, and it was only when he got into the queue that he realised that he was the only person with a Half Marathon sticker on his top.
“I thought something didn’t seem quite right,” he told the MEN.
“Then I started seeing streams of people coming in who had just finished the half marathon [and] I was so embarrassed because lots of people had sponsored me and I didn’t want to let them down, so I went to the information desk and told them what had happened.
“The woman said she could try and change my number and let me run in the marathon and then just dip out half way through – but I wanted to make sure I got the medal.
“I thought if I don’t finish I won’t get it, so I just decided to carry on running.”
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Mat managed to complete the 26.2-mile Manchester Marathon in an incredible four hours and 47 minutes / Credit: Manchester Marathon
While admitting that it was “very painful towards the end” and that the last five miles in particular were “incredibly hard”, Mat said that the Manchester public were amazing and that he’s never seen that amount of people out on the streets.
He comically added: “I think I might try and do a marathon again next year.
“But knowing me, I will probably end up signing up to the wrong thing and doing a triathlon or something.”
The 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
In yet more huge sporting news for Greater Manchester, the 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to 0161 later this year.
We’ve had plenty of big peaks of late, but things seem to just keep going up and up.
Set to host the global event for the first time in our history, Manchester will welcome the World Climbing Series (WCS), which is set to include both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines ahead of the next Summer Games in 2028.
2027 will mark the 38th edition of the series, which will also be one of only a handful to be held in the North – it’s just down to our city to make it the best.
Officially announced on Friday, 16 January, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) confirmed the return to the UK.
Founded back in 1989, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is coming up on four decades since the competition first began – Leeds being chosen as the inaugural hosts – the event has come a long way since then.
The IFSC’s rebranding of the annual bouldering, lead and speed trials to the modern WSC, which began last year, was initially revealed back in 2023.
Welcoming continental talent right down to the youth level, the upcoming 2026 World Climbing Series is taking place in the summer and will be hosted by the city of Innsbruck in Austria.
As for the WSC’s Manchester debut, which is being organised in collaboration with the City Council, Manchester Accommodation BID, MCR Active and the National Lottery via UK Sport investment.
It’s not the only big sporting celebration that the Council will be supporting in 2027.
Paul Ratcliffe, CEO of the British Mountaineering Council, said in an official statement: “It’s exciting to be able to confirm that a World Series climbing event will return to the UK in 2027 as part of the BMC’s major event programme.
“Hosting a competition of this scale in Manchester is a strong statement about the UK’s place on the international climbing stage and a great opportunity for our athletes, fans, the climbing community and the wider public to experience the sport at the very highest level.
“Our ‘Route to Adventure’ strategy sets out how we will build on moments like this to support people into climbing and help them progress, whatever their starting point. Using major events to inspire participation, strengthen pathways and reinforce our commitment to inclusion is central to our long-term approach.”
Scheduled to take place in June, you can find out more information about the 2027 World Climbing Series in Manchester by signing up for the official event mailing list HERE.
Inside Greater Manchester’s most EXPENSIVE house on the market with an indoor pool and supercar garage
Emily Sergeant
A new house has recently come up for sale, and it just so happens to be the most expensive house currently on the market in Greater Manchester.
So naturally, we thought we’d let you have a little look inside.
Now, before we all get carried away, it goes without saying that the vast majority of us don’t have the money to buy this house just sitting in our bank accounts right now, but if like us, you’ve got no shame in admitting you love looking at houses you can’t afford in places you’ll probably never live, then allow us to introduce you to this absolute beauty.
This is a house that’s quite literally so exclusive, the estate agents haven’t even listed where abouts it is on Rightmove.
All we know is that it’s a house in Alderley Edge – which is by far and away one of the most affluent areas in Cheshire, bordering Greater Manchester – which is currently listed for sale at an eye-watering £10.95 million, only £50,000 shy of £11 million.
Boasting nearly 13,000 sq ft of internal space, all designed bespoke by Hill House Interiors, this six-bedroom detached super luxe villa is set amongst five acres of expertly manicured private gardens that hold an orchard, pond, paddocks, stable, and even a 4G sports pitch.
Some of the stand-out features inside have to be the substantial kitchen, dining, and living room with balcony, a separate chef’s kitchen, ‘his and hers’ dressing rooms, a three-storey glazed entrance hall with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the fact that five of the bedrooms have deluxe ensuites.
If that wasn’t enough, there’s also the small matter of a cinema room, a garden room, a full ‘leisure’ suite with a stunning indoor pool, and even a luxury eight-car garage with its own bar.
This is the most expensive house currently on the market in Greater Manchester / Credit: Jackson-Stops
And to top it off, there’s a one-bedroom detached gate house on the land and planning permission exists for an additional outbuilding.
Of course, with a house this swanky, the property is set behind a secure gated entrance down a large driveway – with a sophisticated security system installed, including zoned alarm system and monitored CCTV.
This property is currently on the market with the Alderley Edge branch of national estate agents Jackson-Stops for, as mentioned, a Guide Price of a whopping £10,950,000, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the agents to arrange a viewing.
Or you could just take the cheaper route instead and have a nosy at the Rightmove link here.
Emily Sergeant -
13th October 2021 
