Two friends – Pierre Flasse and Peter Heath – who met while students at The University of Manchester, have set themselves the challenge of running all 200 miles (323 km) of the GM Ringway, Greater Manchester’s walking trial.
The pair plan to run the whole distance around the boundary of Greater Manchester, taking in all 10 boroughs over five days across consecutive weekends starting on Sunday 5 November at 6am from St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre. They aim to cover approximately 40 miles a day across one day each weekend.
Pierre Flasse, 28, a musician and composer living in Chorlton in Manchester, said: “A lot of our interaction and fun in the outdoors comes from exploring what’s on our doorstep. We really try to engage with the outdoors using interesting routes which are nestled into our city. This is why the GM Ringway walking trail seems such a beautiful idea, as it’s also created with this ethos in mind.
“By running the walking route, we hope can encourage more people to explore their local areas, albeit at a more leisurely pace.”
Peter Heath, 26, a civil servant from Heaton Mersey in Stockport, said: “We prefer to run a long way slowly rather than a short way fast, and travel somewhere beautiful and take in the scenery. We’ll be doing regular 20-mile training runs to prepare for the challenge. The winter months are perfect for long, slow running. We’ll aim to start each run at 7am so we can finish before it gets dark. It’s nice to run through a day as it changes completely.”
Andrew Read, GM Ringway Project Lead, said: “We designed this trail to help promote the joys of walking to local people. Pierre and Peter’s plan is very impressive, as they’re taking it up a gear. The stages vary in difficulty, with some easily accessible and fairly flat, and others more hilly and challenging. That’s one thing that’s really great about our region. The landscape is surprisingly varied, meaning that no two stages of the walking trail are the same. I look forward to following the guys’ progress and wish them well.”
The GM Ringway project is led by two charities – CPRE, the countryside charity, The Ramblers, (Greater Manchester & High Peak Area) – and is supported by a £250,000 Heritage Fund grant. In addition, the project has received a £2,000 grant from Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust and £10,000 from TfGM’s Cycle & Stride for Active Lives initiative.
Designed around existing footpaths, parks and open-access land, the walking trail is divided into 20 stages starting and ending in the city centre.
Green in every way, the entire 200-mile (323-km) GM Ringway is designed to be accessed by public transport. Covering all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester, the trail explores an astonishing variety of landscapes, including parks, waterways and beautiful countryside. In addition to its natural beauty, the GM Ringway also allows residents and visitors to explore Greater Manchester’s rich cultural heritage. The route passes more than 40 Grade I and II*-listed buildings, 13 accredited museums, including Trafford’s Imperial War Museum, and 14 scheduled ancient monuments.
For more information and news on the GM Ringway, including route maps, visit GMRingway.org.
