Our runners love a big event and in the North West they don’t come much bigger than the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon. This was our 3rd year at the race, with a record 4 relay teams. We also had two young people going the full distance with the added incentive of a chance to beat Programmes Coach Pete, who was back to improve his time from last year. The day was full of amazing achievements, not least the fact that we all arrived at the start with time to spare. I don’t think this will be easily repeated. Getting to the start line is usually our biggest challenge. We have runners from various hostels and projects across the Manchester area and an alarm clock is not always enough to get everybody up on time. Despite having to set off as early as 7am, nobody was grumpy as we joined the excited crowds for the main start at 9am.

With Adam, Cain and Pete sent off on their 26.2 mile journey, it was time to sort out the relay teams. Incredibly, we had remembered safety pins AND the race numbers so things were still going very well. At 9:30 we waved them off and set off to catch a tram only to find 15,000 runners in between us and the side of the road we needed to be on. Nothing to do but cheer them all on their way until the field thinned enough to cross. The relay is a wonderful way for less experienced runners to enjoy the atmosphere of a big city marathon while challenging themselves over new distance. We had 3 teams running the 4-leg relay and one pair in the 2-leg event. The logistics of transporting our young people to and from the relay stations, ensuring they start and finish in the right place and arrive safely back at the race village are quite a challenge and we really couldn’t do this without the support of our amazing volunteers. Everyone stayed smiling from start to finish, despite blisters and tired legs, etc.

Team spirit was on display all day long with experienced members supporting newer runners taking part in their first big event. Nobody got lost, everybody finished their run and were even reunited with their belongings at the end. Cain knocked 10 minutes off his marathon time and Pete sliced almost an hour off his, proudly declaring that PB stands for “Pete’s Better!”

Perhaps the biggest cheer of the day came as Adam crossed the finish line to become another of our successful marathon runners. It’s worth remembering what a huge achievement this is. 21 is a young age to tick this one off your bucket list and only 1% of the UK population will ever manage it and it’s worth remembering the hurdles our members have to overcome to get to that finish line. A winter of early morning weekend long runs is no mean feat and that dedication to being a better version of themselves is evident not just today but through all the hard work they put in to make it happen. Well done everyone!

If you would like to support homeless and vulnerable young people to achieve their potential, please consider donating to The Running Charity

Simply text IRUN42 plus the amount you wish to donate to 70070

for e.g. “IRUN42 £4” to 70070