On Sunday (April 27), thousands of participants will head to the streets of Manchester to take part in this year’s Manchester Marathon . The 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon is the UK's second largest marathon, and this year’s event is set to be one of the biggest with 36,000 people taking part. This year’s even will take place on the same day as the London Marathon, in what is being billed as the largest day of marathon running in UK history - with 90,000 people set to take to the streets of Greater Manchester and London. Millions will also be raised for official and associated charities The Christie, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and British Heart Foundation too. The Manchester Marathon dates back to 1908, and the annual event has become a popular event for runners from all over the country - and those afield who are looking to secure a personal best. This year, the Manchester Marathon will have a new finish line close to the city centre . Previously, the start and finish areas were near Old Trafford , with the route travelling through the city centre. But now, runners will be completing the course at The University of Manchester on Oxford Road. The rest of the course will remain the same with stops to popular locations that have helped define the fourth largest marathon in Europe. According to organisers, the objective of the change was to improve the experience for finishers with expanded transport links and recovery options as well as a close proximity to bars, shops and restaurants for people to celebrate with family and friends. Below you'll find all the important details for race day, including the full route, start times, bag drops, how to get to the city centre, road closures, and fan zones. The Manchester Marathon takes place next Sunday, 27 April. Entrants will complete a 26.2 mile route that passes through the city centre as well as towns including Altrincham , Trafford and Chorlton-Cum-Hardy. UK participants will receive their event packs by post until 25 April. International participants, those opting for collection, and anyone needing a replacement pack can collect theirs on the Friday and Saturday before the event. The pack contains a bib unique to each running, timing chip and participant number. This number must be attached to your outside garment on your front. For those who don't receive their pack in advance, pack collection will take place at The Impossible, Manchester, 36 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5QR. Public transport is recommended as there will be a number of road closures in place in Manchester and Trafford, which will result in bus diversions. The Metrolink is the advised travel choice for the day and there are a number of stops located close to spectating points along the race route. The Old Trafford tram station is a ten-minute walk from the start line, but there are other nearby options too including Trafford Bar and Imperial War Museum, the latter of which is a 20-minute walk. To avoid delays, the advice is to not travel to Old Trafford or Trafford Bar after 8:45am, as access to the start area is limited and requires crossing the active route. For those planning to arrive after 9am, the advice is to travel to Wharfside or Exchange Quay stations. If you are travelling from outside Manchester by railway, it is recommended to use either Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria stations. Both stations have Metrolink connections. There are over 100 park and ride locations in Greater Manchester. For more information visit the Transport for Greater Manchester website here . All participants must access the Start Area from the E2 Carpark at Old Trafford to go through the correct start process, even if you arrive ‘run ready’ with no need to use the Bag Drop. The toilets are also located in this start access area. The bag drop is situated near the front of the Manchester United Football Club stadium, on Wharfside Way approximately a five minute walk from the start access area. Participants are permitted to drop one small bag (small backpack or sports bag). This bag must be able to fit inside our waterproof bags which are5 55cm by 45cm. Runners will be asked to make their way to the start access area 30 minutes before their estimated start time. If you are using bag drop, allow 45 minutes. Male and female elite races featuring 2024 winner Adam Clarke and Melissah Gibson (who returns hoping to better her 2nd place result last year) begin at 9am, with the mass field following shortly after. Waves are set off at ten-minute intervals, and at 11:50am all 36,000 participants will have started their challenge. Elite and White bib participants will set off first at 9am, followed by red at 9.10am, Blue at 9.20am, Bronze at 9.30am and Light Green at 9.40am. The Purple band will head out at 9.50am, Yellow at 10am, Navy at 10.10am and Grey at 10.20am. Maroon will depart at 10.30am, Orange at 10:40am, Black at 10.50am, Pink at 11am, Cyan at 11.10am, Dark Green at 11:20am, and Coral at 11:30am. As part of the Manchester Marathon route for 2025, runners can expect to take in some of Manchester’s most iconic landmarks, from Bridgewater Hall and Beetham Tower, to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ itself, Old Trafford. Runners will still start under the Trafford Arch before making their way through Greater Manchester towns like Stretford , Sale , and Altrincham, before heading past Whalley, Hulme and finishing on Oxford Road outside the university. The race route requires a significant number of road closures across the Sunday. TfGM is strongly advising people travelling within the impacted areas to not drive on Sunday, as the closures are likely to cause congestion and delays, meaning that you may need to divert your route. You can check our detailed list of road closures for more info and timings. There are a number of vantage points spread out across the route as well as dedicated stations to give runners that extra boost. These include Deansgate Interchange, Hulme, Stretford, Sale, Altrincham, and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Spectators will be able to access the estimated current locations of all runners during the event through a predictive tracking system here . Timing points on the course will be placed at five locations (start, 10k, halfway, 30k and finish), and as a runner crosses this point their time will be instantly updated on the tracker. Between these points, the tracker will show a predicted location for each runner, based on their speed so far. Individual runner finish times will appear on the website not long after they complete the course. You’ll need the bib number or name of the person you are following to check this. Organisers have said to allow 45 minutes after finishing for results to appear.