The elite field was the strongest to date, as the Therme Manchester Marathon played host to the Commonwealth Games qualifiers, European Athletics Championship trials and the European 50K Championship qualifiers. With over 150 elite athletes signed up to compete for the coveted ‘top 3’ finisher positions, the Therme Manchester Marathon welcomed the best of British athletes to its course. 

Therme were proud to sponsor the Manchester Marathon for the second year running showing that, even before Therme Manchester is built, Therme Group is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of the Manchester community.

Competition was tight for the position of first finisher with Jonny Mellor taking first place with a time of 2:10:46. He was closely followed by Ross Millington and Kevin Seaward with respective times of 2:11:38 and 2:11:54. Joining her compatriots as first female finisher was Beck Briggs, who finished with a record-breaking time of 2:29:04, closely followed by Naomi Mitchell (2:30:54) and Georgina Schwiening (2:31:37).

The Elite Wheelchair Athletes continued to showcase their strong athletic abilities with 2021’s second placed male Samuel Kolek returning to push himself and claim the coveted first finisher place with a time of 1:48:24. Martyna Snopek, our Elite Female Wheelchair Athlete, stormed across the finish line with a time of 2:40:24.

After completing their run participants were invited to stretch off and relax in the Therme Recovery Zone. With stretching mats, foams rollers and a Therme-inspired natural setting, the hugely popular zone supported the health and wellbeing of participants, giving them a chance to relax and recover from their run. 

Roads across Greater Manchester were closed, with the popular City Centre section remaining following positive feedback from 2021. Therme Manchester Marathon continues to commit itself to creating a positive impact on the local area and environment, contributing to the local economy, supporting businesses and giving back to the community in the form of charitable donations from the Trafford Active Fund. The economic boost is projected to surpass 2021’s total of £7.4million, with local businesses set to benefit from continued growth.

In addition to the personal achievement of crossing the finish line, many runners were also raising vital funds for Therme Manchester Marathon’s official charity partners the Alzheimer’s Society, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and Sense, in addition to other charitable causes. Over 1,800 runners were entered for charity and expect to fundraise over £2.5m.
 
The Therme Manchester Marathon also used their event as a platform for runners to be able to donate important funds to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. For a donation of £10 or more, runners were able to purchase a special edition race bib to be worn on their backs, showing the flag of Ukraine. Since the launch of the exclusive bib on the 4th March, over 2,500 runners purchased the bib with £31,000 raised in donations.
 
Team Therme had a sizable presence with over 100 Therme colleagues, stakeholders and friends participating in the full marathon or as a two- or four-part relay team. The team spirit was incredible and the team successfully raised over £1000 for Forever Manchester, a local charity that supports grass-roots projects across Greater Manchester.