Which athletes should you watch out for at this year's edition?

A thrilling elite competition is anticipated at the Manchester Half (October 12) this year, as over 70 elite runners and wheelchair athletes gear up for the 13.1-mile race.

With the event incorporating the England Athletics Half Marathon Championships, you can expect to see internationals and elites test their mettle on the flat and fast course around Manchester.

With respective half-marathon bests of 70:27 and 71:51 – set in Barcelona and Nagoya – Puma athletes Lily Partridge and Charlotte Purdue are likely favourites for the women's title.

After winning the 2022 Manchester Marathon, Jonny Mellor will stake his claim over 13.1 miles in the same city. He has competed in two half-marathons this season, running 63:09 and 65:29 at the Wilmslow Running Festival and Great North Run respectively. Gateshead’s Calum Johnson clocked 63:49 at last year's Great North Run so expect him to be a strong contender.

The course certainly has PB potential, being fast and flat, with long straight stretches and little wind forecast for this weekend’s event.

The podium places in this year’s Manchester Half men’s elite wheelchair race will be contested by Sean Frame, Brett Crossley and Matthew Clarke. Three-time Paralympic gold medallist Lauren Rowles will take on the challenge in the women’s elite wheelchair category, having recently announced her return to wheelchair racing after her sparkling rowing career. Last year, Frame took a full seven minutes off the course record, finishing in a time of 48:24, whilst Crossley came in second.

The first wave of the day will be the elite wheelchairs, setting off at 8:55am. They will be closely followed by both male and female elite runners setting off at 9:00am. If you’re supporting in person, you will be able to catch all the starts on the large screen located at Deansgate Interchange (around the one-mile mark) and then be able to cheer them on as they run past five minutes later.

All finishes will be live on the Manchester Half website here