Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Running · Half Marathons
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon 2027
- Race day
- Sunday, 23 May 2027
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Distance
- 13.1 mi / 21.1 km
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon: 23 May 2027. Entry, the Etihad Stadium route, charity places, a pace calculator.
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Race Timeline
255 days to go
More than 56 days out — a good window to build a consistent base before half-marathon-specific training ramps up.
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon 2027: quick answers
When is Great Manchester Run Half Marathon 2027?
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon 2027 takes place on Sunday, 23 May 2027, starting at 8:00am (waves).
What time does Great Manchester Run Half Marathon start?
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon starts at 8:00am (waves) from Portland Street, near the Oxford Street junction, Manchester.
Where does Great Manchester Run Half Marathon start and finish?
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon starts at Portland Street, near the Oxford Street junction, Manchester and finishes at Deansgate, Manchester.
How many miles is Great Manchester Run Half Marathon?
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon is 13.1 miles (21.1km).
How much does Great Manchester Run Half Marathon cost to enter?
Entry is direct via the official site — no ballot. Half Marathon entry was tiered from £54 (Saver) up to £59 (Final) as of Aug 2026; always confirm current pricing, as it rises as places sell out.
How can I track a runner at Great Manchester Run Half Marathon?
Live tracking via the official Great Run app (RTRT.me platform).
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 23 May 2027
- Distance
- 13.1 miles / 21.1km
- Location
- Manchester, UK
- Start Point
- Portland Street, near the Oxford Street junction, Manchester
- Finish Point
- Deansgate, Manchester
- Start time
- 8:00am (waves)
- Surface
- Closed public roads, tarmac
- Cut-off time
- No fixed cut-off time — a sweep vehicle travels at a 17-minute-per-mile pace, and runners who fall behind it are moved onto the pavement. The finish area stays open until the last finisher.
- Age requirement
- Runners must be 17 or over on event day.
- Tracking app
- Live tracking via the official Great Run app (RTRT.me platform).
Direct Entry Summary
Entry is direct via the official site — no ballot. Half Marathon entry was tiered from £54 (Saver) up to £59 (Final) as of Aug 2026; always confirm current pricing, as it rises as places sell out.
Ballot Policy
No ballot — entry is first come, first served, with tiered pricing that rises as places sell out.
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Race Day Weather
A real forecast appears here once one exists for race day — usually about a week to ten days out. Nothing is shown until then, because a made-up forecast is worse than none.
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Route Map & Elevation Profile
Starting at Portland Street, near the Oxford Street junction, Manchester and finishing at Deansgate, Manchester. Total elevation gain is not published for this event, and Verus does not estimate one.
Is Great Manchester Run Half Marathon flat?
Largely flat, described by the organizer as beginning with a bit of an incline and finishing on some downward running towards Deansgate. No official elevation figure is published — independent estimates disagree (roughly 290-360ft), so treat any specific number with caution.
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Course Profile
Elevation change not published for this event.
Tap a point on the course for details.
Portland Street, near the Oxford Street junction, Manchester
Start line.
Mancunian Way & Ashton Old Road
The half marathon splits from the 10K here, heading out towards the Etihad Stadium.
Etihad Stadium
The furthest point from the start before the route turns back towards the city centre.
Where Great Manchester Run Half Marathon starts and finishes
These are the start and finish points, not the route. Verus doesn't hold course files for this race, and drawing a line between two pins would be a guess you might end up training on. The official course map is the one to use: view it on the organiser's site .
Full Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Route Breakdown
Shares its Portland Street start with the 10K before splitting onto the Mancunian Way and Ashton Old Road, heading out to the Etihad Stadium via Alan Turing Way, then rejoining the 10K route along Chester Road and Bridgewater Way to finish on Deansgate.
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Pace Calculator & Splits
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Pace Calculator
Enter a target finish time to see your pace and projected splits.
Average pace / mile
18:19
Average pace / km
11:23
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Pace Chart
Split markers calculated for standard checkpoints — no official pacers are confirmed for this event.
| Target | Pace /mi | Pace /km | 5K | 10K | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 13:44 | 8:32 | 42:41 | 1:25:23 | 3:00:00 |
| 3:15 | 14:53 | 9:15 | 46:15 | 1:32:30 | 3:15:00 |
| 3:30 | 16:02 | 9:58 | 49:48 | 1:39:37 | 3:30:00 |
| 3:45 | 17:11 | 10:40 | 53:22 | 1:46:43 | 3:45:00 |
| 4:00 | 18:19 | 11:23 | 56:55 | 1:53:50 | 4:00:00 |
| 4:15 | 19:28 | 12:06 | 1:00:29 | 2:00:57 | 4:15:00 |
| 4:30 | 20:37 | 12:48 | 1:04:02 | 2:08:04 | 4:30:00 |
| 4:45 | 21:45 | 13:31 | 1:07:36 | 2:15:11 | 4:45:00 |
| 5:00 | 22:54 | 14:14 | 1:11:09 | 2:22:18 | 5:00:00 |
| 5:30 | 25:11 | 15:39 | 1:18:16 | 2:36:32 | 5:30:00 |
| 6:00 | 27:29 | 17:05 | 1:25:23 | 2:50:46 | 6:00:00 |
| 6:30 | 29:46 | 18:30 | 1:32:30 | 3:04:59 | 6:30:00 |
| 7:00 | 32:04 | 19:55 | 1:39:37 | 3:19:13 | 7:00:00 |
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Finish Time Estimator
Enter a recent 5K, 10K or Half Marathon time to estimate your Great Manchester Run Half Marathon finish time.
Your 5K time
Estimated Great Manchester Run Half Marathon finish
1:54:55
An estimate only, based on Pete Riegel's race-time prediction formula. Real marathon performance depends on endurance, training specificity, pacing and race-day conditions — not just your speed over a shorter distance.
Training for a different distance? Try the full pace calculator, race time predictor or pace chart.
Got your target time? Save it to your profile.
Tag Great Manchester Run Half Marathon, set your goal pace, and let Verus track your countdown, training and fundraising in one place.
Start Your Verus JourneyGreat Manchester Run Half Marathon Race Day Checklist
Tap items to mark off your race-day readiness.
- Race number attached, and any timing chip fitted per your race pack instructions
- A bag for the free bag drop at Exchange Hall, Manchester Central
- Weather-appropriate kit, plus something warm and disposable to discard before the start
- Your own gels/fuel, since no free on-course gels are provided — only bottled water
- Confirmation of your colour-coded start wave
- The official Great Run app downloaded before race day, for live tracking
- A meeting point agreed with family/friends near the Deansgate finish for after the race
Training Strategy for Great Manchester Run Half Marathon
10-14 weeks is a solid window for a first half marathon; 8-10 weeks is enough if you're already maintaining a baseline mileage. Build your long run up gradually rather than jumping straight to race distance.
This is a largely flat course, so most of your long runs can mirror that — flat and steady, building time on feet rather than hill strength.
Reduce overall mileage across the final 7-10 days while preserving short race-pace bursts. Arrive at Portland Street, near the Oxford Street junction, Manchester fresh, energized, and primed — not fit, fresh.
Lock in your target pace using the interactive splits calculator below — no official pacers are confirmed for this event, so a pace band on your watch is the more reliable option.
Test your race-day fuel and hydration plan on your long training runs, not for the first time on race day — check the Race Day Checklist below for what's actually on this course.
Half Marathon Nutrition & Fueling Plan
A modest increase in carbohydrate intake over the 2-3 days before the race — not one huge pasta dinner the night before — is the reliable approach to topping up glycogen stores for a half marathon.
Eat a carb-focused breakfast 2-3 hours before your wave start, and stick to something you've already tested in training.
Bottled water is on course, but no free gels are provided — carry your own fuel if you prefer to use one.
An hour or so is the rough window for carbohydrate and protein to do the most for recovery — Manchester city centre has no shortage of options near the finish.
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Charity Places 2027
Hundreds of charity places are available across more than 60 partner charities. There's no single universal minimum — each sets its own fee and fundraising target, as in the example below.
| Charity Partner | Entry Fee | Minimum Target |
|---|---|---|
| Mind | £20 | £300 |
Lead with your personal story — explain why the charity matters to you. Personal connection generates 3x more support than a generic link broadcast.
Share key training milestones on Instagram (first 10-miler, peak week, race week) with your fundraising link in bio. Publicly thanking donors prompts secondary gifts!
Running Great Manchester Run Half Marathon for charity?
Link your JustGiving page to Verus and show up right here alongside other Great Manchester Run Half Marathon fundraisers — goal, progress and story, all in one place.
Add Your Fundraiser to VerusWhere to Stay for Great Manchester Run Half Marathon
Manchester city centre
Closest to both the start on Portland Street and the finish on Deansgate, with the most hotel choice.
Can be busy on race weekend given the size of the event.
Etihad Campus area
On the course itself, useful if you want to watch mid-race as well as at the finish.
Not walking distance to the start — you'll need the Metrolink.
Travel & Logistics
The nearest Metrolink stops are St Peter's Square, Piccadilly Gardens and Deansgate-Castlefield, with Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria as the mainline stations.
Free Park & Ride (with a valid Metrolink ticket) is available at East Didsbury, Brooklands, Navigation Road, Sale Water Park, Ladywell and Parkway.
Roads along the route are closed for the duration of the event; full details are published by the organizer closer to race day.
Spectator & Cheer Guide
More than 20 entertainment and cheer zones line the route, including DJ trucks and charity cheering points — specific mile-marker recommendations weren't published at the time of writing.
The Metrolink network makes it realistic to reposition between viewing points along the route during the race.
Live tracking via the official Great Run app (RTRT.me platform).
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know for race weekend.
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Race details independently compiled and fact-checked by Tommo against the official Great Manchester Run Half Marathon site , last verified August 2026. Always confirm official timings and policies directly prior to race day.