Great Manchester Run goes ahead amid tight security after attack

The city of Manchester has pushed ahead with a bank holiday weekend packed with major events, refusing to allow Monday night’s terror attack act as a deterrent.

On Sunday morning, tens of thousands of people travelled to central Manchester to watch 40,000 runners – including elite athletes, amateurs and children – take part in the Great Manchester Run.

Armed police lined the route, which ran from Manchester city centre, through Trafford, into Salford and back again. Officers were brought in from North Wales, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and Cheshire to strengthen security.

There had been speculation that the run would be cancelled in the wake of Monday’s bombing, which killed 22 people and injured many more, but organisers confirmed on Wednesday that the event would go ahead as planned. They said they had consulted with Greater Manchester police and Manchester city council before making the decision.

“All entrants will receive a detailed pre-event email in the next 48 hours regarding plans for Sunday, which may differ from those previously issued,” the statement read. “Thank you for your patience over the last few difficult days. We look forward to welcoming you to Manchester on Sunday.”

Among the runners was the former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson. He told the Manchester Evening News he hoped everyone would enjoy the day. “This is what Manchester people are like,” he said. “They’ve come out united together and still want to try to enjoy themselves, even though everybody’s condolences go to the families.”

The run came the morning after 50,000 people attended a concert by local band the Courteeners at the LCCC Old Trafford cricket ground, the first major music event in the city since Monday’s Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

Fans were asked to arrive at Old Trafford early and not to bring bags. A statement from the venue said extra patrols and checks would be place at the stadium and the surrounding area.

“If you think you can beat us, you don’t know who we are”, frontman Liam Fray told the crowd, many of whom were holding banners that paid tribute to the city’s character. The gig included a rendition of the Oasis hit Don’t Look Back in Anger, which has come to symbolise the city’s resilience in the face of tragedy.

The Manchester Great City Games took place on Friday, in which athletes competed on a specially built track on Deansgate, a major road that leads towards the arena, and at the purpose-built athletics arena in Albert Square.

On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people queued outside tattoo parlours across the city to get the city’s bee symbol inked on to them for £50, part of a campaign launched by Manchester tattoo artists to raise money for the victims and their families.

The worker bee was first used as a motif for Manchester during the industrial revolution as a tribute to Mancunians’ work ethic and community spirit, and it appears on dustbins, lampposts, bollards and paving stones across the city.