Click to go to… The basics • The route and timings • Yorkshire 10 Mile • The relay race • Where to watch • Getting there • Famous faces • Top athletes • Road closures • The charities • TV highlights
The basics
Only in its third year, the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon is already established as one of the best in Britain. And this year it will run alongside a brand new event.
No fewer than 7,000 folk will be donning their trainers and running 26 miles and 385 yards around beautiful York on Sunday (October 11).
And for the first time they will be joined by 2,000 participants in the first Plusnet Yorkshire 10 Mile Run.
Starting just after the marathon, it gives participants the chance to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of marathon race day over a shorter (but still tough) course.
The marathon is staged by Marathon Yorkshire Ltd, a sister organisation to Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All, the group behind the popular Asda Foundation 10K Series, the Plusnet Leeds Half Marathon and the Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon-Sheffield.
These events, along with the marathon, stand as part of the lasting legacy of the late fundraiser and campaigner Jane Tomlinson who raised almost £2 million for charity by tackling a series of epic challenges.
The route and timings
The route starts and finishes at the University of York. It travels into York along University Road and enters the heart of the city through Walmgate Bar.
6.30am Park & Run car park opens at Elvington Airfield
7am Park & Run services and shuttle buses to the event village commence
8.30am Assembly zones open in numerical order
9.10am Mass warm up for all in University Road
9.25am Marathon Wheelchair race starts
9.30am Marathon starts on University Road
10.13am 10 Mile Wheelchair race starts
10.15am Plusnet Yorkshire 10 Mile starts
11.05 Plusnet Yorkshire 10 Mile winner expected
11.40-11.50am Marathon winner expected
It then continues along Parliament Street and travels in the shadow of York Minster before exiting the old city through Monk Bar.
Runners then head north east towards Stockton-on-the-Forest and on to Upper Helmsley and Sand Hutton.
The course heads south towards Buttercrambe Moor Wood and on to Stamford Bridge where the route turns before heading back towards York. Runners will continue towards Murton before turning and heading north into Holtby.
It’s on into the village of Murton, via Bad Bargain Lane and under the A64 towards Osbaldwick and back to the finish line at the university.
Participants will travel through, or close by, Stockton on the Forest, Grange Wood, Upper Helmsley, Stamford Bridge, Gate Helmsley, Turkers Wood, Murton, Osbaldwick and back towards Heslington.
Yorkshire 10 Mile
New for 2015, the Plusnet Yorkshire 10 Mile has a sell-out field of 2,000 runners.
Clearly a popular innovation, the shorter route allows runners who don’t want to do a full marathon the chance to soak up the atmosphere of the big day.
Like the bigger race, it starts and finishes at the university.
The route takes runners into York, out on Stockton Lane, round through Murton, through Osbaldwick Village, onto Tang Hall Lane and up to the finish line.
The relay race
The Northern Gas Networks Yorkshire Marathon Corporate Relay sees teams take on the marathon course in a battle to claim the bragging rights as fastest team in the tournament.
Business professionals, sports clubs, groups of friends or associations take part. Nearly 70 teams are booked in for 2015, ranging from Advisian consultants to Yorkshire Cat Rescue.
Runners can choose to run one of six legs, ranging in distance from three miles to 6.1 miles.
Where to watch
You can watch the runners anywhere along the route, but race organisers have three main spectator points.
Dunnington
Here you’ll find the official spectator zone. You’ll be able to watch runners pass by twice, first as they head to the turning point in Murton and again when they return for the final seven miles.
A stage and screen will keep people entertained all day, with refreshments and activities for all ages.
York Minster
It provides the iconic backdrop for the Yorkshire Marathon. As runners arrive there shortly before hitting the two mile mark you need to get there early enough to cheer on loved ones.
Stamford Bridge
This is one of the marathon’s turning points. More activities and music will be on hand to entertain both runners and watchers alike.
The spectator bus stops in the village throughout the day.
Getting there
If you are taking a runner or family spectators to the start by car, two drop-off points will operate either side of the York University campus (West loop and East loop).
Once a participant has been dropped off, the driver will need to park the car off-site.
The easiest place to do this is in the city centre or at the ‘Park & Run’ service at Elvington Airfield, see below.
Regular timetabled bus services from the city centre to the event village include the First Group No. 4 and No. 10 and TransDev Unibus No. 44.
Marathon City Centre Shuttle Bus
Regular marathon city centre shuttle bus services will be operational between York Railway Station and the event village at the University of York.
Runners will be given priority to board buses before 8.30am.
Marathon city centre shuttle bus tickets are available to purchase from the bus driver on the day.
Advance booking required
Additional public transport is being laid on for the day – but you have to book tickets in advance. These include…
Park & Run (Green Route) – £7 per person
Park & Run service goes from Elvington Airfield (off the A64 at Grimston Bar – YO41 4AU) to the Event Village and back.
Your ticket includes one parking space at Elvington Airfield. Runners will be prioritised on services before 8.30am.
Spectator Bus Service (Blue Route) – £5 per person
Hop-on-hop-off service taking spectators from the Event Village to marathon spectator areas – Stamford Bridge and the Plusnet Spectator Zone at Dunnington.
Gold Route – £12 per person
This Gold ticket allows unlimited travel on both Green & Blue routes as well regular marathon city centre shuttle bus services from York Railway Station (city wall side, Stand J) to the University of York.
Famous faces
BBC Look North is well represented on Sunday. Presenter Harry Gration is tackling the new 10-mile run just days before his 65th birthday.
Meanwhile the programme’s reporter Nicola Rees is running the marathon, having taken part in one leg of the relay event last year.
Former England and Leeds United footballer Danny Mills is another star taking on the Yorkshire 10 Mile.
And Educating Yorkshire teacher Matthew Burton will go the full 26 miles, having taken part in the 2014 marathon.
Top athletes
Among the leading athletes heading to York this weekend is Edwin Korir.
He won the marathon in 2013 with a time of 2:13:31, which remains unbeaten.
Manchester-based Tarus Elly, a member of Salford Harriers, will be a strong contender. He competed in the inaugural Yorkshire Marathon in 2013, finishing fifth, just weeks after triumphing in the Loch Ness Marathon.
Ripon Runners’ Tori Green has been in fine form this year. At the London Marathon in April she clocked 2:50:22 to set a new personal best, knocking over six minutes off the time she recorded in last year’s race.
Liz Hartney, who turned 50 last month, has her sights set on breaking the record for the V50 category.
Road closures
To allow organisers to begin setting up the extensive event village, University Road in York, will be closed between Innovation Way and Green Dykes Lane on Saturday, October 10 from noon.
It will re-open at 9pm on Sunday, October 11.
Elsewhere, closures on the Sunday will begin from 6am and will affect roads around the 26.2 mile course.
Roads will reopen on a rolling basis, as soon as it is safe to do so.
City centre roads affected by the closures include:
Hope Street
Leadmill Lane
Piccadilly
Blake Street
Duncombe Place
Goodramgate
Monkgate
Further afield, these are among the roads to be affected:
Stockton Lane
The Village
Northgate Lane
Holtby Lane
Bad Bargain Lane
Osbaldwick Lane
The charities
Participants can run for fun or raise funds for any charity of their choice.
They are particularly encouraged to support the event’s official partner charities, which are: Martin House Children’s Hospice, Candlelighters, Macmillan Cancer Support, Yorkshire Cancer Research, Parkinson’s UK, the Haven, CLIC Sargent, St Leonard’s Hospice, Sue Ryder and the Jane Tomlinson Appeal.
TV highlights
Runners will have the chance to see themselves on television in October when the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon again hits the nation’s screens.
The excitement, colour, drama and spirit of the event will be captured in a special highlights programme to be screened on Channel 4 on Sunday, October 25.
Hosted by former Olympic athlete Katharine Merry and TV presenter Kevin Harris, it will also be shown on Sky Sports and other digital channels.
Meanwhile Dream Team Television will produce a documentary of the race. Exact broadcast times will be announced nearer the date.