New routes for Half Marathon and 10K courses

Nathaniel Williams on the canal bank at Kingsway leading the 2016 Rochdale Half Marathon

The Rochdale Half Marathon and 10K routes have changed for this year’s event on Sunday 8 October.

The half marathon leaves the town hall along The Esplanade and runs the edge of Broadfield Park, before heading through Deeplish to the Rochdale Canal at Oldham Road Basin.

The route then heads past Kingsway Business Park and Smithy Bridge along the canal.

Close to the Waterside Restaurant the route leaves the tow path and heads up Hollingworth Road towards Hollingworth Lake, making a clockwise loop of the lake. It then returns down Hollingworth Road and back on to the canal.

The race retraces its outward route from the Town Hall until it reaches Broadfield Park, where runners will go through the park before rejoining The Esplanade for the final sprint to the finish line.

The 10K follows the same route as the half marathon on to the canal, but leaves the canal at the swing bridge at Kingsway Business Park, making a loop of cycle ways, before returning to the canal and the same finishing route as the half marathon.

Councillor Janet Emsley, Council cabinet member for culture, health and wellbeing, said:
“We’re pleased with these new routes, which incorporate some of the best bits of the old course including the lap around Hollingworth Lake and countryside along with some exciting new features including Broadfield Park, to make it much more scenic and user friendly.”

To view the routes, fly-by videos, visit:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/1440110443

The event is sponsored by Williams BMW.