Manchester Marathon 2026 2:51
An 8 minute 24 second PB. Shaun has used annual lactate testing and gaining confidence year on year being nurtured by Dave. He also cites using the local group training and planned group marathon training sessions as major supportive factors in his continual progressive and consistent improvements as well as his chief cheerleader Rebecca! Read more here (Link to blog below)
What a morning. Fresh. Still. Sunny. Nobody talks about it when conditions are perfect, but it has to be said that Manchester gave us a treat on Sunday. I truly hope this sensational spring weather stays for our London runners next Sunday.
This year’s training block unofficially started between Christmas and New Year and it wasn’t actually until mid-February that I went to see Dave for my annual Lactate Test. Because of my previous two spring marathons (Leeds 2024 and Blackpool 2025), and what I had learned from Dave, I felt confident in going through the early motions to make sure I went into the Lactate Test already in good shape. Dave confirmed I was on the right track and set me a training block aimed at 2:50 for Manchester.
During race week, it was the usual feeling of Mara-noia. Over analysing how my easy runs felt and obsessing about heart-rate. Examining every sneeze to confirm it was just Hay-Fever and not a cold. Panicking about my Body Battery and other Garmin stats not being where I would like them to be. As well as an extremely stressful week at work. It’s easy for me to say now, but you just need to trust the process- especially if you are reading this and gearing up for London!
On the day, parking at Old Trafford’s official car-park, bang close to the start of the race, saw that it was a relatively relaxed morning. I got across to Manchester at 7:30am. I kitted up and soaked in the developing atmosphere with plenty of time to spare. It was such a cliche that the music being played was all Mancunian bands- but I’m well ‘mad fer it’ and that’s how I was feeling about the race too! My wave was called first and I wandered through the athletes’ area to begin the dynamic warm-up routine and make final preparations. Thinking back to Leeds, two years previous, I remember being riddled with Imposter Syndrome; this year felt different. Not to the extent of swaggering round the pen like Liam Gallagher at Heaton Park, but I did have a quiet confidence that has been nurtured during the training block outlined by Dave. The Wednesday and Saturday Sessions are definitely where the confidence grows, as are the Blizard Marathon Sessions, in the months leading up to the big day. Group training with like-minded individuals, who push and encourage you in a positive way, is a perfect sprinkle of magic in the midst of your weekly schedule of easy runs.
I had sworn to myself that I was going to take the first 3-6 miles easy and let the running feel genuinely easy. I was delighted to hit traffic in the opening hundreds of metres and I let the crowds of runners keep me steady. Naturally, space opened up and I switched my watch to heart-rate after about 15 minutes. It was in the right area and so I obeyed this and locked in.
Right here, now, is where I need to refer back to Blackpool 2025. Those who I train with have heard me moan about my awful ‘Blackpool Bonk’ (fully aware this sounds like a dodgy weekend away!) last year. On that really hot day in London/Manchester/Blackpool, the early miles saw my heart-rate much higher than it should have been. And I just kept on going- stupidly- for as long as I could. At half-way, I was on for the time I wanted, but I knew I didn’t feel right. By 20 miles, my gaskets had blown and people were passing me all the way to the end. Utterly demoralising. Looking back now, though, this is where the success of Manchester 2026 was made.
Back to Manchester, and I am in a great rhythm running within myself right up to half-way. I naturally grouped up with fellow runners and we worked together ticking the miles off. I was on for about 2:54 at this stage. My heart-rate was still in my control and so I decided to dip into the well a little. I upped and maintained the effort and pace from 13-22 miles and I felt ridiculously good- I believed in all of those marathon-paced sessions and backed myself to hold this pace now for as long as I could. I passed lots of runners who were slowing down and this was another huge confidence boost. The opposite of what happened on Blackpool’s sizzling coastline.
The final few miles started to bite, but by now I sensed that- from at no point being on for 2:50 during the race- that it might be possible because of how I’d been running during the second half. As we turned on to the Oxford Road finish, I couldn’t help myself… I summoned up my ‘Inner-Winter Wednesday Night 20x400m Session-self’ and ran as best as I could against the clock. Manchester’s crowd definitely peaked at the finish and it was a sheer wall of noise.
2:51:02. An 8 minute 24 second PB. It was a negative split that I’m very pleased with, but I can’t help wondering if I was maybe a little too reserved in the first half. That said, who’s to say I would have made the final miles as quick if I’d gone harder earlier…I guess all this is part of the attraction of marathon running? Regardless of times, the process- crafted by Dave- was yet again an amazing experience and I’m delighted this year that the final time matched the effort put in throughout the block.
A special mention needs to go out to Rebecca- chief cheerleader with our family on the day- and who lived the whole block with me. She encouraged me when there was no time to run, listened to my endless hours of nonsense chat about running, came out on the bike to keep me company, chauffeured me on the day- and even carb-loaded the day before! She may as well have done the run herself!
One final thing to mention is that the messages of support before and after from the team were all very much appreciated. One or two asked for my race number to track me beforehand, but it was touching to hear how many team-mates were watching the tracker without me knowing and sharing the thrill of the chase with me. I will likewise be following all the London bods on their marathons on Sunday and I wish them all the very best!
