26 July 2025
See a little of Manchester’s wild side with Beyond Manchester: a running event with a 25km trail option or a 55km ultra route for runners and walkers. With its accessible city centre start and finish, plenty of signage, and a trademark Manchester welcome, Beyond MCR is for every kind of runner, no matter whether it’s your first trail event or your umpteenth ultra. Parkland, street, disused railway, reservoir trails - you name it, Beyond Manchester's got it. The city just feels different when you go beyond your usual route - and we think you’re going to love it.
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Distances
Choose your distance
Provisional route is subject to change
From the start in the Castlefield area, the 55km route takes runners through the city to the Manchester Ship Canal. Turning south on the canal, you’ll wind through the Salford Quays and past the BBC buildings. Prepare for some sights: crossing from the Manchester Canal to the (much smaller) Bridgewater Canal, you’ll wind past the Imperial War Museum North and catch a glimpse of Old Trafford. Then, you’ll pass through Eccles and the route changes from canal to disused railway. You’ll head north through the outer suburbs of the city, reaching Bolton and then heading east towards Bury. You’ll do over 10 km on the Irwell Sculpture Trail (look out for great views over the Irwell valley!) then head back into the city centre. The final stretch is packed with cathedrals, law courts and lots of other historical buildings. Iconic - just like you.
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Provisional route is subject to change
From the start in the Castlefield area, the 25km Beyond MCR route runs through the streets of the city to the Manchester Ship Canal. Turning south, runners then wind their way through the Salford Quays and past the BBC buildings. Here the route crosses from the Manchester Canal to the Bridgewater Canal, bringing runners past the Imperial War Museum North and views of Old Trafford. Passing through Eccles, runners then head west to meet the River Irwell before heading back into Manchester City Centre. The final section takes you past some of Manchester’s finest historical buildings, including law courts and cathedrals. Take a bow - you’ve smashed it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is there an age limit for participants?
To enter Beyond Manchester 55km you must be aged 20, or over. To enter Beyond Manchester 25km you must be aged 18 or over.
What is included in my entry?
As well as entry into the event, your Beyond Manchester entry includes; a finishers medal & tee shirt, chip timing, fully waymarked route & gpx route files to download, feed stations along the route with food and drinks and medical support.
How do I get to the start?
Both 25km and 55km distances start in the Castlefield area in central Manchester. Exact venue locations will be shared well before the event date and included in the event guide. Public transport is the easiest way to get to the Beyond Manchester start.
Where is the finish?
The finish is also in the Castlefield area in central Manchester.
Is the route fully marked?
There will be event-specific directional signs and confidence markers throughout the course. In the briefing before the race participants will be shown the course markers. GPX files can be download from the event page to follow on the day.
Do I need a map?
There will be event-specific directional signs and confidence markers throughout the course. A sports GPS navigation device is recommended if you have one - GPX files can be download from the event page.
How tough is the course?
The course features a mixture of surfaces. You can expect the terrain to be a mixture of footpaths, parks, woodland trails, and canal paths. There are also steps in places. Dependent on weather conditions parts of the route may be muddy. Whilst it is not mountainous, there are hills in places that will provide a challenge for some participants.
Are there cut off times?
Beyond Manchester has strict cut off times that will be enforced. The cut off times are to ensure that all participants have completed the route by 18:30.
Cut off times and locations are TBC.
How many Feed Stations are on the route?
There will be 3 Feed Stations on the 55km route, and 1 on the 25km route.
Feed Station locations will be confimed shortly.
How do I use the GPX Route file?
To use your Beyond Manchester GPX file, simply select “Download GPX File” on our website via your laptop or smartphone. You will then need to add the downloaded file to either your running watch or your phone via an app. The most popular ones are Strava, Garmin and Komoot, for example. Import this GPX file to your chosen app. The steps will vary depending on the app you’ve selected but you should be able to find a “Upload activity” or “Import route”.
What type of shoes should I wear?
We would recommend either road running shoes or road trail hybrid shoes.
How much of the route is paved/unpaved?
55km route is 78% paved, 22% unpaved, 25km route is 75% paved, 25% unpaved.
What you get
We’re working to make our events as low impact and sustainable as possible. We've introduced an option for participants to forgo their finisher t-shirt in place of a donation to a suitable sustainable charity. Participants can choose whether to select this option at the point of entering the event.
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