The day of the Adidas Manchester Marathon was one of the busiest in the 30-year history of the Manchester Metrolink.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said there 175,000 journeys on the network on the day of this year's event.

This is more than the 145,000 journeys on the network on the day of last year's event, the busiest of any Sunday, and the eighth busiest of any day in the 30-year history of the Manchester Metrolink.

TfGM said the busiest lines included the Altrincham line and the Manchester Airport line with the Adidas Manchester Marathon taking place in and around the city centre and the Borough of Trafford.

The Oldham Times: The Manchester Marathon

Danny Vaughan, its Head of Metrolink, said: "The marathon is one of the highlights of our calendar in Greater Manchester.

"To smash our record for the number of journeys on a Sunday for a second year in a row, and with it being during the marathon again, is special. I think this shows how important Metrolink is for people in our region.

Over 30,000 runners raised millions of pounds for their chosen charities and ranged from Rugby League legend Kevin Sinfield and Olympian Dame Laura Kenny to six men in a caterpillar costume who set the world record for the fastest marathon in a six-person costume. They crossed the line a minute and a half ahead of Christian Howett who set the world record for the fastest marathon in Crocs.

The winners were Adam Clarke in the men's event, Charlie Arnell in the women's event, and Bret Crossley in the wheelchair event with all of it seen by more than 120,000 spectators who spent up to £30m on the local economy.

The Oldham Times: The Manchester Marathon

Andrew Smith, the chief executive of organiser Human Race, said: "It is so important that we can return the favour to the brilliant people of Manchester by generating income for local businesses and giving back to the community.

"We've already doubled the number of places sold in comparison to this time last year so we’re looking forward to an even bigger and better marathon in Manchester in 2025."


This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.