We’re delighted that the adidas Manchester Marathon will once again host the English Marathon Championships in 2026.

On Sunday 19th April, over 42,000 participants will take to the streets of Manchester. Among them are some of the UK’s leading distance athletes, all lining up together to take on the same fast, flat route through Greater Manchester and the city centre.

At the 2025 event, Josh Griffiths claimed the men’s title in 2:16:56, while Tessa McCormick was first finisher in the female category in 2:34:53. In 2026, we expect a strong elite field of over 50 athletes. A full preview of the field to be released ahead of event day.

Alongside prize money, the elite field will also be competing for new time bonuses introduced for 2026, with a £500 award available to any athlete running under 2:16 (men) or 2:36 (women).

If you’d like to follow the action live, full coverage of the elite races will be available via our livestream. This will begin with the elite wheelchair wave at 08:55, followed by the elite field at 09:00.

Elite athletes wishing to register must do so by midnight on Monday 6th April, with full entry details and prize money requirements available here.

In addition to the English Championship race, the event will also host the Masters Representative Marathon Championships. Over 40 masters athletes will represent England, Wales and Northern Ireland, competing for top honours across each age category.

The championship racing will continue later in the year, as the Manchester Half prepares to host the English Half Marathon Championships on Sunday 4th October 2026. Find out more about the Manchester Half and elite entry requirements here.