26 July 2025
See a little of Manchester’s wild side with Beyond Manchester: a running event with a 25km trail option or a 55km ultra route for runners and walkers. With its accessible city centre start and finish, plenty of signage, and a trademark Manchester welcome, Beyond MCR is for every kind of runner, no matter whether it’s your first trail event or your umpteenth ultra. Parkland, street, disused railway, reservoir trails - you name it, Beyond Manchester's got it. The city just feels different when you go beyond your usual route - and we think you’re going to love it.
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Distances
Choose your distance
Provisional route is subject to change
From the start in the Castlefield area, the 55km route takes runners through the city to the Manchester Ship Canal. Turning south on the canal, you’ll wind through the Salford Quays and past the BBC buildings. Prepare for some sights: crossing from the Manchester Canal to the (much smaller) Bridgewater Canal, you’ll wind past the Imperial War Museum North and catch a glimpse of Old Trafford. Then, you’ll pass through Eccles and the route changes from canal to disused railway. You’ll head north through the outer suburbs of the city, reaching Bolton and then heading east towards Bury. You’ll do over 10 km on the Irwell Sculpture Trail (look out for great views over the Irwell valley!) then head back into the city centre. The final stretch is packed with cathedrals, law courts and lots of other historical buildings. Iconic - just like you.
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Provisional route is subject to change
From the start in the Castlefield area, the 25km Beyond MCR route runs through the streets of the city to the Manchester Ship Canal. Turning south, runners then wind their way through the Salford Quays and past the BBC buildings. Here the route crosses from the Manchester Canal to the Bridgewater Canal, bringing runners past the Imperial War Museum North and views of Old Trafford. Passing through Eccles, runners then head west to meet the River Irwell before heading back into Manchester City Centre. The final section takes you past some of Manchester’s finest historical buildings, including law courts and cathedrals. Take a bow - you’ve smashed it.
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What you get
We’re working to make our events as low impact and sustainable as possible. We've introduced an option for participants to forgo their finisher t-shirt in place of a donation to a suitable sustainable charity. Participants can choose whether to select this option at the point of entering the event.
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