The Greater Manchester Marathon is a race due to be held on 29 April 2012 which starts and finishes at Longford Park in Stretford. The course takes in Old Trafford football stadium, Lancashire County Cricket Ground and the Imperial War Museum.[1] The event is the first marathon to have been run in the area since 2002.[2][3]
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The first marathon in Manchester was run in 1908 and started and finished at the Saracen's Head pub in Warburton, Trafford although at this point the run was only 20 miles. The first marathon to be run over 26 miles and 385 yards was the race in 1909, it started in Sandbach and finished at the Fallowfield Stadium in Manchester. A marathon has been run along various routes in the Manchester area intermittently throughout the years with various start and finish points.[2] The last marathon to be held in the city was in 2002 with the 10 km Great Manchester Run superseding it as the major running event in Manchester.[3]
The course starts and finishes at Longford Park in Stretford and passes a number of famous Manchester landmarks including the Old Trafford football and cricket grounds and Dunham Park.[3][4] It works its way through Sale, Timperley, Trafford Park and Urmston.[5]