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The ultimate power ballad club night is coming to The Ritz in Manchester
Sam Ridgway -
6th February 2020
Sam Ridgway -
6th February 2020 What's On
An all-day fan zone is being set up for the 2025 Manchester Marathon with freebies for runners
Danny Jones
A dedicated all-day fan zone is being set up in the city centre for this year’s Manchester Marathon, and it’s in a prime location.
The 2025 Manchester Marathon is fast approaching, with more than 36,000 runners set to take on the challenge and even more spectators expected to line the streets.
In fact, given that it’s coinciding with another rather large event down in the capital, this year’s race is tipped to UK running history.
With that in mind, the adidas Manchester Marathon team have teamed up with property developers Vita Living to host a huge fan zone in one of the city’s fastest-growing town squares and neighbourhoods.
Popping up in Circle Square on Oxford Road Corridor and just down the road from the marathon’s new finish line, you arguably couldn’t ask for a better place for a fan zone for those taking in the festivities of what is a massive date on the Manchester calendar.
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Not only is it a much more central location for civilians to immerse themselves in the excitement, but with the bustling area almost acting as a self-contained district tucked away between Vita’s accommodation buildings, it achieves a similar effect as the typical event village located around Emirates Old Trafford.
Based around the mini green space that is Circle Square‘s Symphony Park, there’ll be a big outdoor screen to watch all the action, with multiple pop-ups, activities for all ages and tonnes more.
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What’s on at the Circle Square Fan Zone?
Entertainment
As well as the big screen streaming the 2025 Manchester Marathon from start to finish, including build-up events, interviews and post-race features, there’ll be other entertainment to enjoy.
Besides the tunes being pumped out as part of the race day party atmosphere, you can expect live performances by the likes of Bhangracise Manchester, plus plenty more surprises.
Free fitness sessions
Now, the day might be mostly about running, but for anyone who wants to get moving themselves, there will also be free yoga sessions by Jett’s Gyms directly on the Symphony Park grass, as well tasters of reformer pilates by local studio Restart, who also have a site over in Cheetham Hill.
And don’t worry, there’s stuff for the kids too with a ‘Mini Athletics’ programme, featuring a whole range of activities, from sprints and balance beams to hurdles, foam javelins and long jumps.
Food and drink
As for grabbing a much-needed beverage (here’s hoping it’s sunny but not too hot come crunch time), there’ll be refreshing post-race iced drinks, slushies and recovery shots at the official Rehydration Station hosted by Circle Square’s North Bar.
You’ll most likely get hungry whether you’re participating or not, so you’ll be glad to hear there’ll be not only more iced drinks and coffee from Federal but soft-serve ice cream from Hello Oriental and a summer spritz Manchester Gin outdoor bar as well – again, hosted by North Bar.
Don’t mind if we do.
FREE things and discounts for Manchester Marathon runners
Now, onto the important stuff: the free stuff for those of you taking on the 2025 Manchester Marathon.
- A free post-run meal for all medal holders at KOTO inside North Bar
- Free regular hot drink with any bagel purchased from Bagel Factory
- Free coffee from Half Dozen Other for runners
- Free ice cream, cold beer or a soft drink to marathon finishers from Hello Oriental
There are also is also a money-off brunch at Federal, a 20% discount on the entire Bird of Prey menu when you show your medal; £1.99 cheeseburgers from hit Oslo export Doug’s for all medal holders, as well as treatment vouchers for winners of games or activities from Forever 22.
If we were you – and at least two of us here in The Manc office will be on Sunday, 27 April – we’d plan to make the most of the S.W.A.G. and offers for the one day you can.
The whole event is completely free and open to the public, running (pun intended) from 10am-5pm. See you there, trackstars!
Read more:
- Reuben Logan, son of British sports presenter Gabby Logan, has signed for Sale Sharks
- Part of the 2025 MCR Marathon has been named after Jamie Laing following his ultra run
- Ricky Hatton is hosting ‘An Evening With’ event for one night only in his hometown
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Supplied
What's On
Ricky Hatton is hosting ‘An Evening With’ event for one night only in his hometown
Danny Jones
Legendary British and Manc boxer Ricky Hatton is hosting an exclusive ‘Evening With’ event for fans in his hometown later this year.
Born in Stockport but famously raised in a pub and the boxing gyms of Hattersley in Hyde, Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton is one of Greater Manchester’s most famous sporting sons – most certainly in the realm of combat sports – and while he may be long retired, he’s still decades of stories to tell.
With that in mind, the 46-year-old has decided to host ‘An Evening with Ricky Hatton‘ in partnership with Heroes and Legends Events, who specialise in bringing icons from various sports into a public forum for fans to hear from, meet and more.
His following is still strong, so he no doubt could have picked from many different venues, but just like with his local énergie Fitness gym, a.k.a. Ricky Hatton’s Health and Fitness Club, there’s nothing like the strength of home crowd and so he’ll rather fittingly be speaking at Hyde Town Hall.
The former WBA (Super), IBF, IBO; The Ring Light Welterweight Champion, and WBA Welterweight Champ’s event will see him discuss well over a decade in the discipline as a professional, as well his career since retiring, i.e. as a gym owner, promoter and trainer for other talents like his son, Campbell.
It also coincides with the 20th anniversary of his watershed win over Kostya Tszyu in June 2005, a moment that changed his trajectory and British boxing for years to come.
‘The Pride of Hyde’ went from a pale teenage prospect to an internationally recognised name, winning multiple titles in his class, spending a good chunk of his career undefeated, and even going on to fight one of the greatest of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
We still have faint memories of how big a deal it was back then, and they certainly made a spectacle of the night at the Arena.
You can see a retro Sky Sports clip of the night down below:
RICKY ROCKED THE WORLD👑
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) June 4, 2020
Here's how @HitmanHatton announced himself on the world scene on a memorable night in Manchester fifteen years ago today
📺 Ricky joins us tomorrow on The Boxing Show as we relive this classic
📅 2pm @SkySportsNews pic.twitter.com/X49qYIgwLY
With just a trio of losses and 32 knockouts from 45 wins to his name, he is one of the best to ever come out of the country, let alone Greater Manchester and having seen him run drills during an interview we did with him back in 2023, he’s still plenty handy now.
Having been given an MBE for her services to sport and charity work back in 2013 and inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame just a couple of years later, his reputation doesn’t need any more explanation – it’ll be a fascinating talk to be sat in on.
There are a total of three evenings with Ricky Hatton this year but only one in his home county, with the Hyde Town Hall date set for Wednesday, 4 June – in line with the 20th anniversary of the seminal Kostya Tszyu fight.
Standard admission – £45
- Entry at 7pm
- A lively to part Q&A with Ricky Hatton
- Profession Photo with You and Ricky
- Exclusive items to bid on in a live auction
- Live framing also available at the event
VIP package – £99.99
- Everything above
- Entry at 6:30pm
- Premium Seat at the venue
- Boxing Glove Signed by Ricky Hatton
You can grab your tickets HERE.
Read more:
- Eric Cantona becomes latest co-owner of FC United of Manchester
- Manchester Storm and ice hockey legend Cam Critchlow announces retirement
- Pep Guardiola says Manchester United fans should be ‘ashamed’ after ‘sick’ Phil Foden chant
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Loura Conerney/Russell Harry Lee (via Flickr)/The Manc Group
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