Young Runners Shine in Manchester
With blue skies above, the Manchester Regional Arena was filled with a sea of smiling faces as around 2000 people descended to take on this year’s AJ Bell Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run.
Cheered on by family and friends, Mini runners aged 3-8 ran a fun and energetic 1.6km, whilst Juniors aged 9-15 tackled the supercharged 2.5km route before receiving their well-earned medals for their efforts.
Ramping up the excitement on ‘Super Saturday’, stars of the UK hit show Gladiators Toby Olubi (Phantom) and Quang Luong (Viper) were on official race starter duty ringing the bell to set young runners on their way, before greeting legions of fans young and old for photos.
Phantom (Toby Olubi) said: “We loved coming to Manchester and meeting our fans. Being active is a real super power that gives you so much and we’re passionate about encouraging young people to get moving and have fun at the same time.”
Young running talent from across the region shone through with local runners taking the top three spots in the female race (red wave). Beatrix Soper (Sale Harriers Manchester) came first in a time of 00:08:46, with Alice Boothroyd (Altrincham & District AC) second in 00:09:39 and Eve Dowling (Sale Harriers Manchester) third in a time of 00:10:00.
Oliver Boyce (Norwich Road Runners) put in an outstanding performance to finish first in the male race (red wave) in a time of 00:07:46. Arlo Mander Tullius (Trafford AC) finished in second place in 00:07:59 with George Horsfall (Sale Harriers Manchester) third in 00:08:22.
Ada Raw (Allerton AC) was the fastest female to complete the Mini course, with Arthur Johnson finishing first in the male Mini race.
Paul Foster, Chief Executive, The Great Run Company, said; “Manchester has a rich history of producing some fantastic runners and today really highlighted it is home to some rising stars in athletics. It was also great to see so many younger runners take on our Mini Run supported by friends and family, The AJ Bell Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run proves that you are never too young to start running!
The AJ Bell Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run returns on Saturday 22 May 2027. Super early bird entries are open – sign up here.
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