Running and Walking

We offer several running and walking groups that cater to excercisers of all abilities.

UoM Sport / Sport and Activities / ActiveAnywhere / Running and Walking

Participating in running and walking is one of the most straightforward ways to embrace an active lifestyle. Come join us on a journey towards improved health. We offer various running and walking groups suitable for individuals of all fitness levels.

Running enthusiasts: You have the option to become a part of one of our running groups, which are open to both staff and students.

Discover running opportunities: Alternatively, you can get involved in the South Manchester Parkrun or contribute as a volunteer.

Explore the Purple Wave: Learn more about our Purple Wave initiatives and become a part of our events.

Walking enthusiasts: Join our Lunchtime Health Walks, accredited by Walking for Health, for a pleasant and healthy walking experience.

Purplewave

Our Purple Wave strives to unite thousands of University staff, students, and alumni through our mass participation in running, walking, or jogging events. Be sure to seize the opportunities available this year!

The inception of the University of Manchester’s Purplewave dates back to 2016 when UoM Sport members decided to assemble a group comprising university staff and students to participate in the Great Manchester Run. Over the years, this event has continued to flourish and evolve. In 2019, we introduced a 2k/5k event earlier in the year, offering individuals the chance to prepare for the main 10k or half marathon event in May. This change also accommodated those who preferred shorter distances to join the Purplewave.

In contrast to having only one running event linked to the Great Manchester Run, we aim to organise a series of events and challenges throughout the year for your active participation. The Great Run 10K and Half Marathon events are scheduled for this year on 18 May 2025, and our Purplewave from the University of Manchester will be there to make its mark.

One of the defining aspects of the Purple Wave is its commitment to philanthropy. Funds raised from previous years have been thoughtfully distributed among noteworthy causes, including support for the British Red Cross, Manchester’s Cancer Research, Marie Curie, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, and various other charities selected by participants.

Limited exclusive offer – early bird ticket price!

The university is excited to offer an early bird price for the 10k run at just £20, a significant discount from previous years, in honour of the Bicentenary.

If you already know everything about our Purple Wave and don’t want to miss out, you can buy your tickets today:

PURPLE WAVE Santa Dash 4th December 2024

PURPLE WAVE 2.5K and 5K – 5th March 2025 – Tickets coming soon
PURPLE WAVE 10K – 18 May 2025 – Tickets coming soon £20 and Free Fundraising tickets
PURPLE WAVE HALF MARATHON – 18 May 2025 Free UoM Fundraising tickets coming soon

More about the Purple Wave Sign up here for updates and ticket release information

For more details on this prestigious university event, to register, and to stay updated on all Purple Wave activities, please visit our website.

Runner profiles

If you need more information about any aspects of our events please email us at purplewave@manchester.ac.uk.

Run with us - University running groups and run commuting

UMRun Staff and Students Running Groups
What ever drives you, run with us!

Join the staff and student running group supervised by a Run England affiliated leader. These weekly sessions vary each week and cater for all abilities.

If you need the motivation to get out and run or want to join for advice on warm ups or stretching why not join in with this group. You can sign up and find all the details on the UMrun pages of the Run Together website

If you want to start your running journey but have no idea where to start we would also like to recommend the NHS Couch to 5K app

How to register to run with one of these groups – You MUST register before joining a group

Register with Run Together IMPORTANT : Once registered you will need to join the session which you want to attend
For Run Wild Group register here
For the Staff Running groups, all the details for where to meet and how to sign up can be found here
PLEASE NOTE : it is a good idea keep up to date with last minute session notices via the UMRun Facebook page

Denmark Road Groups

Meet the group 5 -10 minutes before stated time at The Active Lifestyles Centre entrance.
Changing and shower facilities are available at Denmark Road – £1.10 fee. Lockers are a returnable £1
If you require changing and shower facilities elsewhere, please refer to the shower list

Day & Leader	Time	Venue	Details	Aimed at
Monday Ellen Stephenson Monday Run Wild	NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE 6.15pm – 7.30pm TERM TIME ONLY	Student’s Union Whitworth Hall Entrance – John Owens Quad	All abilities who can run 5km in 30 minutes Return time 1pm All abilities	Students and Staff WOMEN only group
Tuesday Ellen Stephenson	12.10pm	Denmark Road	All abilities – accommodation of new runners if required Generally cover 5km in 40 minutes Return time 1pm	Staff and students
Tuesday Run Wild	6.15pm	Whitworth Hall Entrance – John Owens Quad	All levels of runners (various groups)	Students Students and Staff
Wednesday Run Wild	6.15pm	John Owens Quad	All abilities	PG Students ( postgrads / 4 years+ / mature students)
Thursday Tim Blackwell	12.10pm	Denmark Road	Confident runners	Staff and students
Thursday Rachel Kenyon / Richard Kirkham / Fiona Lynch	5.15pm	Nancy Rothwell Building (MECD) Entrance	All levels of runner who can run continuous 5km OR Beginners / Return to Running	Staff and students Staff and students
Thursday Run Wild	6.15pm TERM TIME ONLY	Whitworth Hall Entrance – John Owens Quad	All levels of runner (various groups)	Students

Run Wild also take part in the Saturday Morning parkrun in Platt Fields Park – 8.50am meet

Run Commute Group – This session is currently on hold.

UMRun meet up for breakfast after a run to work, every last Thursday of the month, to chat and share ideas and experience. We suggest that if running all the way to work is step too far you may just want to run the first or last part of your journey to qualify for your free grub. There is also prize draws for introducing new runners to the event and prize draws for the new runners, every month.

For details on all things running via UMRun please see UMRun website

This initiative is focused on staff and postgradyate students.

If you have any questions about UMRun please email us on umrun@manchester.ac.uk

Purple Wave

If you want to keep up to date with 2023 -24 Purple Wave events, find out more from our Purple Wave webpage.

Join Us on social media to keep up to date:

Parkrun, Great Run and volunteering

GROUP RUNNING OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY

Parkrun

Parkruns are free, weekly, community events all around the world. Saturday morning events are 5k and take place in parks and open spaces. On Sunday mornings, there are 2k junior parkruns for children aged four to 14.

Parkrun is a positive, welcoming and inclusive experience where there is no time limit and no one finishes last. Everyone is welcome to come along, whether you walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.

South Manchester Parkrun

South Manchester parkrun is a timed 5km run every Saturday at 9:00am in Platt Fields Park, Fallowfield.

We all run for our own enjoyment. Please come along and join in whatever your pace!

How to register

Register here
You only need to register once before your first run

Bring a copy of your barcode to the run (otherwise you won’t get a time)

Birchfields Community Run

A free, weekly, timed 2k and 5k run in Birchfields Park, Fallowfield, every Sunday at 11:00am. A great way to meet new people of all ages and abilities!

Book to join the run here

Local Runs need you –

Both Parkrun and Birchfields Community Run are organised and run entirely by volunteers so any help you can offer is always greatly appreciated.

By joining the University of Manchester Sports Volunteer Scheme you can find out about the opportunities to volunteer and also be recognised for what you do.

Walk with us

**Please note, the walks are not taking place at present and the above inbox is not currently being monitored, but look out for announcements in 2025.**

HEALTH WALKS

About

The MCRstrollers (previously known as the Lunchtime Strollers) was set up in 2010 as a walking group for the health and wellbeing of staff, students and the local community, and are led by trained volunteers from the University of Manchester. All are welcome. The walks are free and are the perfect way to get out of the office, get active, meet new people and learn something new!

The minimum recommendation from doctors to keep your body healthy and prevent illness such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes is 150 minutes of activity a week. If you attend all three of the health walks with the Lunchtime Strollers you will easily achieve the recommended 150 minutes of activity a week.

MCRstrollers is led by volunteers and is open to staff and students at the University of Manchester, and to the general public.

How to join?

For more information about the club and how to take part please see the following link

MCRstrollers

Sign up for the MCRStrollers mailing list via mcrstrollers@manchester.ac.uk

The walks are a great way to get out of the office, get active and meet new people.

Find out more :

Active Manchester

Our Active Manchester Gym and Class Membership offers sessions and gym access across the Wellbeing Studio and the Armitage Centre. The sessions take place throughout the year but we generally offer more sessions during the term time period when more people are on campus.

Each session is rated based on the level of intensity in the class so you can choose what is right for you:

Easy – suitable for beginners and getting back to exercise
Medium intensity – suitable for people getting back to exercise and regular exercisers
High intensity – suitable for regular exercisers and those wanting a hard workout

Find out more about classes and memberships.

Active Anywhere

We encourage everyone to get #ActiveAnywhere and offer a lot of support for you to be active. We have a range of events through the year in addition to weekly activity and this year we have a fantastic online offer for you to get involved with.

Our online classes take place via Zoom for you to enjoy and all information is on our timetables for you to login from anywhere and get involved.

Find out more and sign up for our Zoom classes.