The GM Ringway, Greater Manchester’s walking trail, will host the inaugural GM200 ultramarathon this November. Organised by GB Ultras, the UK’s leading ultramarathon club, the event will run across four days (November 21st-25th).

Staged as a continuous single-stage race, the ultramarathon will start at the Imperial War Museum North. Runners will then follow the 200-mile GM Ringway route – which passes through each of Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs – before finishing again at Salford Quays around 95 hours later.

Along the way, runners will use indoor checkpoints and sleep stations, housed in community centres, village halls, and other public buildings, to eat, hydrate, sleep and recuperate. The checkpoints will also offer access to medical support, including foot care.

In addition to wellbeing provision at checkpoints, all GM 200 participants will be fitted with a live GPS tracking device.  This will ensure race organisers – and any personal support teams – can monitor the exact location, and rate of movement, of any individual runner.

Limited to no more than 100 runners, GB Ultras anticipate a cohort of athletes from overseas will take part. To sign-up, entrants must also have previously completed at least one major endurance run, of at least 100 miles, over the last two years.

Wayne Drinkwater, founder of GB Ultras, said of the race: “We are delighted to hold the first ever GM200 event in November. By following the Greater Manchester Ringway trail through all ten GM boroughs, the runners will encounter many different types of terrain – from fast canal towpaths to rocky moors – and everything in between.

“However, over 200 miles, traversing such a diverse landscape means entrants will need more than just immense levels of fitness to complete the race; they’ll need to undertake meticulous logistical planning, devise a detailed sleep deprivation management plan, and dig deep psychologically, to get through.”

You can read more about the GM 200 ultramarathon, including details of registration criteria and entry costs, here.