The booms and declines in Liverpool running events

There is nothing quite like the anticipation of waiting for the starting gun with a blend of nerves and excitement buzzing through you as all your hard work is about to be put to the test. 

Many silent miles, with the rhythmic pounding of thousands of feet eating up the tarmac, matched by the humming of heavy breathing, are familiar conditions for these runners. 

But what is not so common, is the relentless noise of cheering, bells and horns that hits you and detaches you from fatigue, carrying you across the line.  

A place that has embodied this for years is Liverpool. 

Starting with George Neville White in 1927, he organised the city’s first ever marathon, starting at St Georges Hall and finishing at Anfield ground. 

Only 144 participants were involved, as the first running boom did not reach the city until the 1980s. 

The origins of mass participation came from New York, as Chris Basher copied this launching an event in London in 1981, kickstarting the 80s running boom. 

Races appeared everywhere as it gave ordinary people a chance to challenge themselves, with Liverpool being one of the early adopters when the Mersey Marathon was set up in 1982 by Derek Johnston, attracting over 3,000 runners.  

This continued until 1992 until participation declined with only 490 finishers, seeing it come to an end.

The portfolio consisted of the half marathon, the women's, and the tunnel 10km events and the Santa Dash, which is the UK’s largest festive 5km run. But it was still missing the Marathon. 

But, in 2011 the 26.2-mile route re-emerged when BTR brought it back after a 19-year absence. 

This resurgence in running was largely down to the rise of campaigns by brands like Nike who shifted away from representing solely elite athletes and instead targeting a more community and lifestyle market. This was further pushed by the rise of social media at this time. 

Rothwell said: “There was a boom around that time. I think Chester had put a race on, oddly enough, the same time as us. Obviously, the Chester boys had a perception that there was a gap in the market there for another marathon, because the time was right. 

“I set the course out, going up to New Brighton, coming back down the prom, so when you turn onto the prom at New Brighton, the first thing you saw was the Liverpool skyline. 

“It worked really well for the two years that we did it, and then Liverpool City Council had a change of heart and wanted to bring in rock and roll who changed the whole dynamic.” 

Set up by the US based Competitor Group Inc in 2014 who looked to entwine running and music with live bands along the routes, reaching record numbers in 2017, attracting more than 20,000 runners that year. 

However, like many events the financial and operational impacts of the Covid pandemic brought an end to the series in 2021, leaving the city without a marathon once again.