Fundraiser’s guide to the Manchester Marathon
The Manchester Marathon is a brilliant running event – perfect for a challenge to work towards, your next step up in the running world or even if you’re a seasoned marathon runner working towards a personal best. The enthusiastic atmosphere makes for a fantastic race, packed with thousands of runners and billed as the ‘fastest, flattest and friendliest’. It’s the UK’s second biggest marathon and an excellent way to raise money for that good cause. So here’s the information you need if you’re looking to sign up – lace up your trainers and start your GoFundMe today.
1. Secure your entry to the marathon
So you’ve decided the Manchester Marathon 2023 might be the one for you – there’s a variety of different ways to secure your place.
Individual entry – entering as a single runner on general entry. This will cost you £69.
Individual entry + best sellers package – this is the same as individual entry, plus a tshirt and a personalised medal insert with your name and finish time.
Two-person ticket – You can enter two people at a time to get a discount. Two people on general entry costs £129
Duo ticket – This is entry for one person into both the Manchester Half Marathon and the Manchester Marathon. It costs £99.
Two-person relay – You can take on the marathon as a team of two, covering roughly half the distance each. This costs £89.
Four-person relay – You can also do it as a team of four, covering roughly 10-11k each. This costs £99.
Official charity entry – If you want to enter on behalf of a charity, you can. By choosing one of the marathon charity partners you can get a discounted entry. There’s more information on charity entries here.
2. Set up your fundraiser
So, you’ve entered the marathon and chosen your good cause. To maximise your fundraising time, start your GoFundMe as soon as you can. Even if you’ve secured a charity place, you can still set up an additional fundraiser to maximise your potential. There are plenty of causes to run for and it doesn’t just have to be a charity, either. When you’ve started your GoFundMe, share it with friends, colleagues, family and make sure to shout about it on social media. You can find out how to do that best with our promoting your fundraiser guide here.
You can get inspiration on who or what to fundraise for by checking out our charity page here and if you’d like to read about how to get into running and fundraising, we have a guide here.
3. Get to know the course
It’s good to be familiar with the Manchester Marathon route so you can anticipate any challenges – but also appreciate the things you might see along the way. The Manchester Marathon course is fast and flat and on road, so good for setting personal bests if you’re that way inclined. The 2023 route map hasn’t been released yet, but the Manchester Marathon 2022 route took runners up to Old Trafford after starting at White City Way, passing Hulme on the way into the City Centre, looping back towards Stretford and into Altrincham at mile 16. The race then finished on Talbot Road.
4.Spread the word about your fundraiser
Now it’s time to really shout about the fact you’re running the Manchester Marathon 2023. Any marathon is a big undertaking and a brilliant way to raise money for a good cause – and you should be proud of promoting that. When you’ve started your GoFundMe, make sure to add a good description on why you’re running and keep updating donors on how the training is going. You can look at our blog on promoting your fundraiser online here.
5. Prepare for race day
To ensure race day runs as smoothly as possible, make sure you plan in plenty of travel time well in advance or make arrangements to stay overnight as the race starts early in the morning. If you’re not already familiar with the city, be sure to check out where the start line is either virtually or in person and if you’ve got supporters coming to cheer you on, pick a spot to meet them at the end – it might be busy!
6. Update your donors on how you did
And congratulations! Once the Manchester Marathon 2023 is done, be sure to give your donors a final update on your GoFundMe on how you did, how you feel and maybe if you’re planning to run another race.