Manchester’s Great Manchester Run will take over the city centre on Sunday, with thousands of runners, major road closures and a staggered 10k start at 11:30. Kevin Sinfield is among the names set to line up, and the day will unfold under live Two coverage from 11:00 BST to 13:00.

The race has become a fixture that pulls elite athletes and fun runners onto the same streets, but this edition lands with immediate practical consequences for anyone trying to move through the centre. More than 150,000 spectators are expected to line the route, and the surge of people will be matched by congestion warnings for drivers, bus diversions and very busy Metrolink services.

The great manchester run 2026 includes both a 10km race and a half-marathon course, with both events starting on Portland Street before heading down into Trafford, looping around Manchester United’s ground and passing the Imperial War Museum and Salford Quays on the way to Deansgate. Dame Kelly Holmes is returning to the starter’s platform for the elite women’s race, while Sally Lindsay MBE is also set to take part.

That scale is exactly why organisers are urging people not to travel through the affected areas, even as the streets are expected to be packed with spectators. Transport for Greater Manchester says tram travel will be the best choice on race day, with the nearest stops to the start line at Piccadilly Gardens, St Peter’s Square and Deansgate-Castlefield, while several buses will be diverted and road closures will remain in place across the day.

For runners, the event is being set up to keep people moving once they are on course, with water stations available at various stages and on-course showers on Ashton Old Road. For everyone else, Sunday is less a day to drive through central Manchester than a day to work around it, as the elite races start later and the city braces for a long stretch of disruption before the finish at Deansgate.