On 31 May, David Weir and Claudia Burrough took to the streets for the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run, with the competition spanning a distance of 10,000 metres.
Weir placed first in the Elite Men’s Wheelchair 10K, with a time of 21:19, whilst Burrough finished in second place with a new Personal Best (PB) of 27:57, knocking 33 seconds off her previous PB.
Click here to see the moment Weir crossed the finish line: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2458515451239359
On Instagram, Burrough wrote: “Not the best start but managed to get going once out on the open roads and felt really good especially in the relative uphill sections. We thankfully managed to dodge the rain until the last couple of km’s.”
“Thanks as always to all the coaches and athletes at @weirarcher for all their support and well done to all the other athletes competing today. It was great to see such a big wheelchair field especially in the women’s field.”
This achievement marks Weir’s seventh win at the Great Manchester Run, protecting his title from competitors such as Paralympic silver medallist Nathan Maguire and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Sean Frame.
What happened at the 10K?
On the day, 38,000 people descended upon Manchester for the Run, with the course starting on Portland Street, going past landmarks such as the Imperial War Museum, and finishing in Deansgate. There were an estimated 11,000 spectators.
Starting in 2003, the competition is now considered as one of Europe’s biggest 10K events.
This year marked the biggest Great Manchester Run yet, with more than 150,000 supporters recorded.
According to the organisers, participants raised over £5 million for varying charities, such as The Christie Charity, Manchester Foundation Trust, Macmillian, and Alzheimer's Society.
Speaking to I Love MCR, Sir Brendan Foster, president and founder of the Great Run Company, said: “We saw some exceptional performances from the international and British elite runners before our everyday runners filled the streets, many of them running for a cause close to their hearts and raising an unbelievable amount for charity.
Double Paralympian Melanie Woods set a new course record with a time of 24:09 in the women’s wheelchair 10K.
When is the next Great Manchester Run?
The Great Manchester Run will be held again on 23 May 2027, and entries are now open here: Enter 2027 now. We hope to see Weir Archer Academy represented again!