Manchester City Marathon
Manchester, United States · November · Independent
Why people love it
- Hilly first half, then flatter miles on a rail trail beside the Piscataquog River.
- Many pacers and aid every 1.6 to 3.2 km (1 to 2 mi), with maple syrup packets.
- Big medal, long-sleeve shirt and a veterans tribute at the ballpark finish.
- Hotel at the start and race-morning bib pickup make logistics easy.
Watch out for
- Gain of 388 m (1,273 ft), mostly in the first 21 km (13 mi); a slow Boston target.
- About 10 km (6 mi) of dirt, gravel and roots from mile 17 (27 km); wet leaves are slick.
- November starts of 1 to 4 °C (33 to 39 °F), often with cold rain.
- Finish food and soup have run out in some years.
- Long quiet trail stretches with few spectators.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Very tough
- Racer satisfactionLoved3.7
RaceRaves 3.8 of 5 from 31 ratings, MarathonGuide 4.3 from 3. Volunteers and the big medal praised; · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run4.1
RaceRaves production 4.2. Smooth bib pickup, many pacers and accurate mile markers; · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable2.8
388 m (1,273 ft) of gain, 10 km (6 mi) of rough trail and a hard last hill; · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialSlow2.3
Reviewers say it is not a Boston target: first-half hills, 10 km (6 mi) of gravel and roots, and cold rain some years. · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryBeautiful3.6
RaceRaves scenery 3.6. Piscataquog River and the rail trail are pretty, the ballpark finish is fun; downtown is plain and the trail repeats. · Medium confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points3.0
The narrow rail trail congests early, and runners disliked the out-and-back and repeated passes of the finish area. · Medium confidence
- Road surfacePatchy2.4
About 10 km (6 mi) of dirt and gravel from mile 17 to 23 (27 to 37 km) with roots and ice puddles; · Medium confidence
- Road closuresPartly closed2.8
Many residential intersections on city streets per a 2023 reviewer; not a fully closed course. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessHilly2.2
388 m (1,273 ft) of gain, between rolling and big climbs. · Medium confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Loop-style course with no net drop; Boston qualifier, but hills make it a poor target. · Low confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSmooth4.1
Hotel at the start for warm waiting, easy parking, race-morning pickup and a pace-based start; one toilet placement complaint. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingGood4.2
Many pacers praised in 2022 and 2024 reviews, accurate mile markers, free photos and finish video. · Medium confidence
- Crowd supportDecent3.0
Good at the start and finish and a lively party near mile 23 (37 km), but long quiet trail miles; · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsGood4.2
Stations every 1.6 to 3.2 km (1 to 2 mi) with gels, blocks, waffles and maple syrup packets; finish food thin in some years. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindMostly calm3.6
Several reports of little wind; one mentions a slight breeze making a 0 °C (32 °F) start feel colder. · Low confidence
- Air temperatureWarm or cool3.3
Starts at 1 to 4 °C (33 to 39 °F), warming to 9 to 18 °C (48 to 64 °F); · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable3.0
The same week has brought perfect cool mornings, highs of 4 °C (40 °F) and steady cold rain. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints2.8
Loop and out-and-back sections near downtown allow some viewing; the trail is hard to reach. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level4.8
About 60 m (200 ft) above sea level. · High confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityGood3.8
Several runners booked hotels beside the start and finish; no shortage reported. · Low confidence
- Hotel valueGood3.5
Fees not reported; one runner chose a motel at the start. Mid-sized city, off-season in November. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.0
Several runners stayed at a hotel directly across from the start and finish. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeEasy3.5
The airport is about 5 km (3 mi) away with a weekday free shuttle; Greyhound from Boston takes about 70 minutes. · Medium confidence
- LogisticsSimple4.0
Packet pickup at a running store the day before or at the race that morning; easy parking. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodFine3.4
Downtown dining near Elm Street; the Portsmouth coast is about 80 km (50 mi) away. · Low confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inOpen entry4.6
Open entry, not reported as selling out. · Medium confidence
- Value for moneyGood value3.7
Huge medal, long-sleeve tech shirt, free photos and video praised. Fee not found. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Manchester, Hillsborough County, United States
- Typical month
- November
- Latest or next date
- 8 November 2026
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 570 athletes
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- loop
- Climbing
- 388 m (1,270 ft)
- Start time
- 08:50
- Cutoff
- 7 hours
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- City streets, paved rail trail, about 6 miles (10 km) of dirt and gravel trail
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Rarely
- Air temperature
- 1–12 °C (34–54 °F)
- Humidity
- Moderate; cold rain in several years
- Altitude
- 60 m (195 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Manchester-Boston Regional (MHT), 5 km (3 mi) away
- Where to stay
- Downtown Manchester near Elm Street
- Booking
- Hotels at or beside the start and finish; a free airport shuttle exists but not on Sunday mornings. Greyhound from Boston takes about 70 minutes.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRavesRaced 2025 · aggregator · Positive
31 ratings, 3.8 overall; difficulty 3.6, scenery 3.6, production 4.2, swag 3.4. Runners agree on a hilly first half, strong aid and volunteers, a big medal; complaints are quiet trail miles, repeat finish passes and thin finish food.
“Hilly first half, flat second.”
- Marathon Maniacs member reviewsRaced 2023 · forum · Positive
About a dozen reviews from 2017 to 2023. They report over 1,200 ft (365 m) of gain, 6 to 7 miles (10 to 11 km) of trail, hotels within walking distance, race-morning bib pickup and free photos. One runner fell on leaf-hidden roots.
“Hilly, but the scenery made up for it.”
- Marathon Training AcademyRaced 2019 · blog · Positive
Her 49th state. Watch logged 1,273 ft (388 m) gain with 800 to 900 ft (245 to 275 m) in the first half. Four-mile (6 km) gravel trail with roots and ice puddles, unofficial beer and mimosa stops, huge medal. Finishers: 360 marathon.
“The final overpass felt enormous.”
- MarathonGuideRaced 2024 · aggregator · Positive
4.3 from 3 reviews. Mentions hills in the first half, about 6 miles (10 km) of dirt and gravel from mile 17 to 23, good organization and spectators. 566 finishers in 2024.
“Good fan support.”
- BibRave reviewsRaced 2024 · aggregator · Positive
BibRave reviewers call it hilly, with trail from mile 17 to 23 (27 to 37 km) hard to pace on. They praise the spectators and start-line organisation, and one wanted more variety of fuel.
Show 6 more
- Alexandrarose1 on RaceRavesRaced 2025 · aggregator · Mixed
Nice but very hilly and quiet, with woods and trail sections. Scored production, scenery and swag low.
“Very hilly and quiet.”
- ajd90 on RaceRavesRaced 2024 · aggregator · Mixed
Solid small race with smooth starts and plenty of gels, but sparse crowds away from the start, repeated rail-trail loops and badly placed toilets. Not a repeat pick.
“Not a top pick to repeat.”
- hseitz on RaceRavesRaced 2022 · aggregator · Mixed
Cold rain. Took Greyhound from Boston in about 70 minutes. First half very hilly, a gravel out-and-back at miles 16 to 20 (km 26 to 32), then a downhill finish. Great crowds for rain, lonely back half.
“Great crowds for a rainy day.”
- jphil853 on RaceRavesRaced 2023 · aggregator · Positive
Hard first half, mentally hard out-and-back second half with a last uphill. Good communication, crowded store pickup, narrow rail trail early. About 1,110 ft (338 m) of climbing.
- aubreynetzel on RaceRavesRaced 2022 · aggregator · Positive
Cold rain but well produced. Many pacers, stocked aid, maple syrup fuel, huge medal, generous cutoff and food left out until the last finisher.
- radumasmk on RaceRavesRaced 2023 · aggregator · Negative
Critical: many residential intersections, some unpaved roads, food ran out within 5 hours on a rainy day. Production 2, scenery 1.
“Food ran out within 5 hours.”
Raced Manchester City Marathon? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
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