City of Manchester 10K  Here's how RW members rated this race (265 votes). | The big picture (265 votes) | | Overall score | | 73% | | How many would do it again? | | 88% | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 45% | | PB potential | | 74% | | Atmosphere | | 66% | | Organisation | | 72% | | Value | | 64% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 75% |
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2012 race reviewed by: Running Mummy Kez
 | | Overall score | | 80% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 80% | | Value | | 100% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: Great race, very friendly and well organised
In full: Great value for money as I got the half price offer.. It was great to have a track start and finish.
My son was meant to be running the toddler trot but couldnt make it, the organisers went out of their way to ensure my 4 year old still got a medal, very impressed :)
Will be back next year!
Date of review: June 29, 2012
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2012 race reviewed by: stephen cole 9
| | Overall score | | 100% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 100% | | Atmosphere | | 80% | | Organisation | | 100% | | Value | | 100% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 100% |
In short: Excellent very well run race. Very good value for money. Would definately do it again. Good to finish and end in the stadium.
Date of review: June 26, 2012
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2012 race reviewed by: Up the Boro
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 20% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Not the most scenic of routes but a nice friendly race all the same
In full: Nice to start and finish in the stadium, and to be able to wait indoors before the start, given the wet weather. Course had a few inclines more than I thought and isn't the prettiest. Decent goody bag, although no medal!? Everybody nice and friendly. Easy free parking a bonus. Most likely do it next year.
Date of review: June 24, 2012
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2012 race reviewed by: Tarantula
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 60% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Manchester lower-key friendly atmos 10k
In full: Obviously this is a much smaller event than the Great Manchester run but I'll compare it anyway. This one has less of the excitement, but perhaps a more friendly feel than the anonymity of a large commercially run race.
The athletics track start and finish is really nice, and makes it better value for money - it is cheap - but for my money they could have replaced the whole goody bag and contents with one medal and I would have been happier. Even the kids got a medal and they only paid 3 quid. Liverpool half did this well - no bags, water, boxes of bananas, a medal and a technical t-shirt each - it seemed to go down well there.
Date of review: June 24, 2012
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2012 race reviewed by: Hallam Blue
| | Overall score | | 80% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: Friendly, and better organised than last year
In full: Slight change to route from last year, but better organised: still have a suspicion it is measured short. Water station placed earlier, but they could do with a second one. Entry was cheap, and the goody bag basic, which was fine, but a medal would be nice. But I still really enjoy this race, and I'll be back.
Date of review: June 24, 2012
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2012 race reviewed by: rachel bainbridge 2
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 60% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: Good Fun
Date of review: June 24, 2012
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2012 race reviewed by: barry tone
| | Overall score | | 60% | | Would you do it again? | | Yes | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 60% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 80% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 80% |
In short: cheap and cheerful
In full: Few ling inclines and few steep corners to curb your pace, but you cant grumble for £12. Good to run around the athletics track as well
Date of review: June 24, 2012
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2011 race reviewed by: paul 22
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | Maybe | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 20% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 40% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Lacked organisation and not very informative
In full: The race itself was ok. I got a new P.B but the run up to race day was terrible. The sportstours website lacked information and trying to find anything out was like getting blood from a stone. The directions to the car park weren't very good and signs to the start from the car park were non existent. All in all very poor organisation from such a big company. I wouldn't use sports tours international to book other races.
Date of review: July 13, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: just_outside_the_medals
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 20% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 20% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Good race ruined by terrible organisation
In full: Really really shocking organisation.
Who gave the microphone to the least inspirational man in manchester (think Brian Potter from Pheonix Nights!)? He looked genuinely upset when the crowd didn't show enough support for the sponsors - does he think Kswiss is a charity?
On a really hot day it is inexcusable not to have enough water - this is July, so hardly a surprise the sun was out.
No signs anywhere - no one had a clue which toilets were open. The ones at the back of the track weren't which meant everyone relived themselves outside the entrance to them! Ridiculous.
I have run quite a few 10ks in the North this year and this is definitely one to avoid.
To top it off the course isn't even 10k! My garmin clocked it at 9.84k (confirmed by studying the map).
Date of review: July 5, 2011
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2011 race reviewed by: sprouty76
| | Overall score | | 40% | | Would you do it again? | | No | | | | Details: | | Scenery | | 40% | | PB potential | | 80% | | Atmosphere | | 60% | | Organisation | | 40% | | Value | | 60% | | Beginner-friendliness | | 60% |
In short: Decent race, poorly organised overall
In full: As others have said, this is a reasonably fast course (although not exactly pancake-flat, like some have claimed) whith a nice start and finish on the Regional Athletics track near the City of Manchester stadium. Once you get away from the stadium, most of the course winds through run-down industrial parks and housing estates.
Around the start / finish, I thought that more signs could be put up directing people to e.g. registration, toilets (there were loads going unused in the "city square" bit just around the corner from the track, where dozens of people were queueuing).
The organisers also seem to have messed up the results - mine doesn't match the time on my watch, and despite them taking the results down for 24 hours to "check", the same incorrect time is still shown for me. Other people are reporting problems too.
I didn't have any of the problems with water at the finish, but by the sounds of it those finishing a little later had to do without. As for on the course, people - you need to take your own in weather like that!
The t-shirt was half-decent, but the rest of the goody bag was a bit pants (although I'll be using both the Manchester Sport & Leisure 7 day pass and the Sweatshop £5 voucher). Somebody else mentioned sunglasses, which I didn't get.
Date of review: July 4, 2011
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