England Marathon Championships move to Manchester

This April 36,000 runners are expected to hit the streets of the north west to take on the sold-out Adidas Manchester Marathon. For the first time, we’re delighted to be partnering with race organisers ASO UK to host our England Marathon Championships at this popular event in 2025, offering a unique opportunity for runners of all abilities.

This will be the first year that the England champs have been hosted outside of the London Marathon, but it provides an excellent opportunity for developing endurance runners to participate. With Manchester Marathon not currently operating a ballot system, it is easier for runners of all abilities to secure their spot*.

The 2025 TCS London Marathon will still play host to the UK Athletics Marathon Championships, with a focus on the elite end of our sport. The London Marathon’s rich sporting history attracts the world’s best runners, with the top Brits ready to battle it out on 27 April. See who will be toeing the line in the elite field this year.

*The 2025 Adidas Manchester Marathon is sold out, however post April runners will be able to express their interest and book their spot for the 2026 event.

A new championship format

After a hiatus, the Manchester Marathon returned in 2012 with just 6000 runners taking part; fast forward to 2024 and a staggering 32,000 runners crossed the finish line. We are excited to introduce a brand-new competition format for 2025 and beyond which runners of all abilities can get involved with. There will however still be the traditions of the England Championships with

1. Individual medals - for the top three English males and females who cross the line.
2. Team medals – for the top three club teams in the male, female and mixed categories (consisting of three male and three female from one affiliated club).

In addition to celebrating those at the top end of our sport, we are also introducing age category awards to encourage runners of all ages and abilities to give the marathon a go. Similar to the masters races, we will be giving podium place awards for runners of all ages from 18 through to 85+.

New championship rules

Age and gender awards

Individual competition will be divided into standard age groups, both for men and women. Age is determined based on the runner's age on race day.

• 18-29
• 30-34
• 35-39
• 40-44
• 45-49
• 50-54
• 55-59
• 60-64
• 65-69
• 70-74
• 75-79
• 80-84
• 85+

Looking to 2026 and beyond

The 2025 edition of the Adidas Manchester Marathon is just around the corner, so we would like to give you a head’s up on how the engagement awards will develop for the 2026 race, and beyond. We will look to introduce a range of club awards:

• Most engaged club: the club which has the most entrants to the Manchester Marathon.
• Club Spirit award: The club that demonstrates the most enthusiasm and spirit across the weekend.
• Top veteran award: Given to the male and female runner aged 60+ with the highest age grading.

London Marathon Events supporting the talent pathway

The move of the England Athletics Marathon Championships to Manchester is purely for us to focus on nurturing talent across the different ages, encouraging mass participation as the membership and development body for running in England. We continue to work very closely with London Marathon Events, and their vital support enables us to deliver activity across our four Talent Hubs, supporting the next generation of stars.