It is just 3 months to go as we countdown to the 2026 AJ Bell Great Manchester Run, the Great Run Company and UK Athletics proudly announce that the UK Athletics 10K Road Championships is coming to the streets of Manchester.

Tom Craggs, UK Athletics Performance Endurance Lead said: “High profile road events, especially those like the Great Manchester Run, are vital in the development of British athletic talent, so we are delighted to once again be working with the Great Run Company to stage our 10K road championships together. The Great Manchester Run provides British athletes the platform to compete in a true city of sport alongside a world-class field, spurred on by spectator support not experienced anywhere else in the UK. The Great Manchester Run is always home to some of the best performances in running.”

Paul Foster, Chief Executive, The Great Run Company, said: “We are immensely proud of our long distance road running heritage in Manchester. It is a city steeped in sporting heritage where memories are made and records broken; this is the course where Eilish McColgan broke the British and European 10K records in 2022. It seems only fitting that the Great Manchester Run plays host to such an important event which will be a true celebration of the best of British running talent.”

The UKA 10K Road Championships is open to registered club runners from a UK Athletics affiliated club who meet the entry criteria. More information is available here.

This year’s Great Manchester Run will be biggest ever, with over 40,000 runners set to take part across the weekend. It’s a huge celebration of running with the popular Junior and Mini events taking place on Saturday 30 May at the Etihad. The Junior (ages 9-15) and Mini (ages 3-8) events give kids the chance to take centre stage with high-fives and medals for the finishers.

The main event follows on the Sunday, with 38,000 participants taking on either the 10K or half marathon distance and lining up alongside some of the world’s leading athletes. Starting on Portland Street, the course passes some of Manchester’s most iconic landmarks all along the route, including Old Trafford, Etihad, Imperial War Museum & Salford Quays, before a grandstand finish on Deansgate.

Be part of the action

More than 100,000 spectators will line the streets to support, and millions more will watch the action live on the BBC from 11am to 1pm. Places for the 10K, Half Marathon and Junior & Mini kids events are expected to sell out in advance once again, so act fast to secure your spot on the start line. Find out more and enter here.