GBUltras’ Manchester to Liverpool Ultra
(Salford Quays to Aintree)
18/04/2025 (Good Friday)
A quick selling race, I entered this race on April Fools Day last year. As soon as I entered I booked accommodation in self contained apartments at Salford Quays (5 min walk from start and Liverpool Marina (a great location for exploring the city after the race)
A couple of weeks before the start of the race, GBUltras emailed to say the race start had moved to the Imperial War Museum North, fortunately that was only about 5 mins from the old start.
25 hours before we were due to arrive at the Salford Quays property, I got a message from Booking.com saying that it was cancelled. I
After booking for the wrong night in my panic, Booking.com helped sort that, but due to Manchester United playing, all properties had hiked their prices up. Billy and I had no choice but to pay the extortionate price for a room and a further £15 for parking. Plus meals as we were no longer self catering. Now that we were in a hotel I didn't have a kitchen for preparing race nutrition and 4 am breakfast. So I packed instant porridge, Thomas’ fruit and nut flapjack and banana for breakfast, and Cadbury creme eggs rather than hot cross bun cheese sandwiches and extra gels for race nutrition.
We arrived in Manchester just after 15:00 and booked into the hotel. It was nice and 20 min walk from The Imperial War Museum North. We had time to kill before registration opened at 17:30 so we went in search of coffee and cake. At 17:30 we made our way to registration
I was very nervous at the prospect of 50 miles.
After a meal at Bella Italia where I chatted with another runner who was running in the morning. She had run the race before and said it was easy to navigate, it was taped and there were plenty of runners around.
In bed by 21:00 with a 03:45 alarm I struggled to get much sleep, the room was too warm and race nerves made for a disturbed night, the alarm went off too soon.
I had Quakers chocolate hazelnut porridge for breakfast, I followed the instructions, it was like wallpaper paste, YUK!!, but I forced it down and my banana, but I could not face the flapjack. I was dehydrated from the warm night, I drank several glasses of water.
Recently my leg has been sore and a random nerve issue in my foot was giving me grief. I ummed and arghed about taking my poles. They are added weight and pull my pack at the shoulders, but if I didn't take them and I couldn’t put weight through my left leg after hours of pounding hard surface, I may DNF. I was frustrated, stressed and Billy was very patient and calm. In the end I opted to take my poles.
It was time for the 20 min walk to the start to collect my tracker. It was a nice morning, chilly, but not cold. The forecast was possible showers from 13:00 but a mild overcast day.
START VENUE
Imperial War Museum (IWM) North, Trafford Wharf Road,
Billy attached my tracker and I went to the loo, I saw Alexia in the queue but not Abbie. I put my jacket away, time was ticking too quickly and it was soon time to go to the start. I looked for Abbie and Alexia but could not see them in the crowds. I was too far forward I felt, but everyone was hanging back but the organisers were herding os to the start. I said hi to my new friend from the previous nights evening meal.
I could see the runners ahead waving their arms for the camera but could not hear the race organisers for the chatter around me. Suddenly the crowd surged forwards, we were off. I started my watch and went with the crowd, I couldn’t see Billy in the supporters. I hoped the tracker was working. He had hours to waste before heading to Liverpool after lunch.
The route turned us out of the Imperial War Museum onto the canal side, runners spread out and i was passed on all sides by faster runners, suddenly we stopped. there were barriers narrowing the route and we had to wait turns to weave our way through. This separated runners and it was not too crowded on the now narrow path. I was wary of tripping and tried to keep a distance between me and the runners ahead. I found the first few miles stressful, trying to stay away from the waterside and keeping a space all around me, I felt I was running a bit fast but was drawn along by the others.
About 3 miles in we urned away from the canal and headed on the out and back lake section that had checkpoint 1 at the turn point. It was good to feel the miles passing by, Very soon the race leaders were pelting towards us, I was astounded that they were already a couple of miles ahead of me at this early stage. I felt I had settled in, now that we were away from the water.
CHECKPOINT 1 – 6 Miles
Chorlton Waterpark
I was making sure that I drank plenty, so when I approached the checkpoint, I finished my 500ml bottle of high 5 and had it refilled with tailwind. I took a small jam sandwich, a piece of cheese and 2 ginger biscuits, and set off walking and eating. I had passed a few people who were enjoying the checkpoint this meant those faster runners were Oliver taking me again very soon. I did not feel like I was doing badly as soon the people around me stayed the same , not much overtaking going on.
My tracker was digging in and hurting my shoulder, I moved it forwards but it blocked my bottle. I noticed some people had attached their trackers to their back of théier packs rather than the shoulder. I removed my pack. Billy had done a cracking job of attaching it that morning, the velcro did not want to part. After a while I stopped and put my pack down, then I got it off. I reattached my tracker to the back of my pack, and set off again. I hoped it still worked now that it was a bit lower down. It took a few miles for my shoulder to stop aching.
CHECKPOINT 2 – 15.5 Miles
Dunham Massey
At Checkpoint 2 I decided to invest some time in queuing for the loo, It was about 10 minutes. But better than searching for discreet places on route. A lovely checkpoint lady went down the queue refilling our bottles so that we lost as little time as possible.
More comfortable, with sanitised hands I went to the table and took 2 little jam sandwiches, 2 pieces of cheese and 2 ginger biscuits, I walked onwards eating my snacks. Soon after setting off running I had. As one in my shoe, I stopped to remove it. My newly tied shoe took a while to settle, but I was back to ticking the miles down again and the runners around me remained fairly consistant after the initial rush of passing me by after the checkpoint.
The course was mainly hard surfaced bike track, but there were a few short sections that were softer and this was a relief to already sore feet.
CHECKPOINT 3 – 23 Miles
Latchford Locks
Checkpoint 3 felt a long haul, approaching the halfway mark was starting to show in my legs. I took 2 jam sandwiches, 2 pieces of cheese and 2 ginger biscuits. I promised myself a Cadbury’s creme egg at a marathon, this kept me going.
CHECKPOINT 4 – 32 Miles
Spike Island
50 km, I took 2 sandwiches, 2 ginger biscuits and 2 pieces of cheese and set off walking, it was drizzling a bit and lots of people were putting waterproof jackets on, I decided to risk it without and wandered off eating my snack, closely followed by my long awaited creme egg. I would save the other to power me through the last 10 km.
There was a lot of riverside, or should I say, mudside on this section with some incredible bridges. Having a 10 km section made this feel like a short section.
CHECKPOINT 5 – 38 Miles
TPT Verge beside Alderfield Drive
The checkpoint was in a slightly more built up section for a while before heading back onto the cycle route, back into the dip of an old railway line. There were a couple of areas where there was no marker tape visible and the route was less clear, I checked my watch and asked a couple of passers by. I was seeing runners less and less at this point. The miles were ticking by with running and walking. The last checkpoint was slightly to the side of the route and up a slight rise that felt like a mountain.
CHECKPOINT 6 – 44 Miles
Underneath the bridges on the TPT
No ginger biscuits this time, so fig rolls, sandwiches and cheese, followed by my final creme egg.
I wandered along the route with my food and set back off at a trot, less than 10km to go, under and over bridges along the railway cutting, signs saying Anfield helped the countdown.
All of a sudden I could hear the finish, I looked left and there, down the embankment was the Finnish, and Billy waiting for me. A nice downhill, along the pavement and turn into the field. The grass took any remaining energy from me.
FINISH - 50 Miles
North End Sports and Social Club, Melling Rd, Aintree
I had hoped for sub 12 hours with a dream time of sub 11:30, I was ecstatic to smash both goals.
I recommend this ultra.
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