Greater Manchester Marathon 2020

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Nelly Sep 2019 8:31am, 5 Sep 2019 3,896 posts	0 Nelly Hi whiteflash, I'm ok thanks, hope you're well too? I was told a week ago that the (provisional) 2020 route would be released at the same time as entries reopened yesterday, but then I was told yesterday it would be released "towards the end of the month", so the following is based purely on speculation on my part... Yes, when it was first announced that the route would include a the 3-mile city centre loop I played around with the Fetch route plotter. I came up with a possible (not sure I'd say likely) route that includes the published city centre loop and then remains similar to previous routes, here if you're interested fetcheveryone.com/routes-view.php?message=thanks&id=1800710 Based on a comparison to the 2018 route it shows an approximate 10% increase in total ascent (I use %-age as a comparison because it depends whether you believe the organiser's published ascent figure, or Fetch's calculated figure, or somewhere in between!).
jennywren Sep 2019 8:34am, 5 Sep 2019 15,302 posts	0 jennywren The Manchester Half has a new route that goes through Chorlton so I wonder if the full will also do that?
Nelly Sep 2019 8:42am, 5 Sep 2019 3,897 posts	0 Nelly Jen, very good point. When I was originally thinking about my response to whiteflash, I had thought I should add my playing around with the route "was before the Half marathon close to the finish (which was common to the marathon) was changed", but forgot to add it when I got to write my reply.
jda Sep 2019 8:43am, 5 Sep 2019 5,122 posts	0 jda It's still basically a very flat course, but the first few miles are marginally hillier, right? It would be good it they cut out the mountain at the half-way point but maybe that's a convenient turn point.
jennywren Sep 2019 8:48am, 5 Sep 2019 15,303 posts	0 jennywren It’s quite interesting now that Manchester City Council are on board because obviously they don’t have to stick to Trafford. Going into the city centre cuts out the troublesome bit around Henrietta Street/Seymour Grove which locks a lot of residents in for hours on end. Chorlton will also have some locked in areas though - my road being in the middle of one of them! (Not that it bothers me)
Nelly Sep 2019 8:49am, 5 Sep 2019 3,898 posts	0 Nelly Agreed, about the profile. Although they're not going to "cut-out the mountain at the half-way point", as that's Altrincham and not only is it a convenient turn point but more importantly it's one of if not the best supported sections on the route.
clare1976 Sep 2019 9:11am, 5 Sep 2019 4,163 posts	0 clare1976 All this talk of hills and mountains for both the marathon and the half are worrying me as one of my drivers was a predominantly flat course for each. Please tell me the discussion is still in relative terms and that they could still be classed as 'flat and fast' by normal race standards?!!
jda Sep 2019 9:15am, 5 Sep 2019 5,123 posts	0 jda I'm joking Clare! I doubt there is a flatter faster course in the country. 4 years, 4 PBs and a reasonable expectation of a 5th for me next time. (And I'm not even counting the short courses that I was lucky enough to miss).
larkim Sep 2019 9:22am, 5 Sep 2019 8,531 posts	0 larkim Despite Manchester being named because (apparently) the original settlers considered hills to look like boobies (he-he!), you're in for a flat course more or less whatever the route Clare!
Homer Sep 2019 9:36am, 5 Sep 2019 13,240 posts	0 Homer (lurking on the edge pretending not to be tempted)