Manchester Marathon 2015 Results: Men and Women's Top Finishers

Paul Martelletti and Georgie Bruinvels sampled glory in the men’s and women’s races, respectively, at the 2015 Greater Manchester Marathon.

The winners of the events were confirmed by the competition’s official Twitter feed:

With thousands of runners taking to the streets of this iconic northern city, there was plenty to take in throughout the course of the 26.2-mile circuit. Here are the top three runners from each discipline and a closer look at how the action played out.

Race results to follow.

Thousands Take to Streets for Manchester Marathon

For runners in the north-west, the Greater Manchester Marathon is one of the most prestigious dates on the distance running calendar. And as the winning times of each competitor illustrated, there was some major quality on display too.

Here’s a look at the race getting underway, courtesy of Amy Glendinning of the Manchester Evening News:

Over such a substantial distance, surprises are something of a rarity, but the champion in the women’s race certainly fell into that category. Bruinvels’ feat of winning the race was impressive enough, but to do so in a course record in what was her first marathon race deserves enormous credit.

Here is the winner afterwards:

There were only a smattering of male competitors crossing the line ahead of her, the fastest of which was Martelletti.

The New Zealander was a class apart over the 26.2-mile course, and while he couldn’t quite top his fastest marathon time of two hours, 16 minutes and 49 seconds, per all-athletics.com, he wasn’t too far off with what was his second-best effort over the distance.

Here’s the moment he crossed the line:

As we can see, when compared to someone like Bruinvels, Martelletti is a veteran when it comes to marathon racing:

The Kiwi was always in control of this one, leading at the halfway point before drawing on all his experience to put some distance between himself and the rest of the field. In the end, he could enjoy the final few moments of the race, coasting into the home straight.

Aside from the elite competitors, there were plenty in attendance enjoying the day. As we can see here, some of the athletes involved were mixing serious competition with fancy dress:

While the times here were not world-class, this kind of event is an excellent stepping stone for young athletes looking to progress in distance running. For the likes of Bruinvels especially, this win should be a foundation for bigger things and an opening into different facets of the sport that may have otherwise been unexplored.