Manchester Harriers and AC: Longford Park and Beyond

Manchester Harriers and Athletic Club are based at Longford Park in Chorlton, the large public park in the Trafford borough that contains one of south Manchester’s best athletics tracks. The club has been using the facilities at Longford Park since 1892, making them one of the longer-established athletics clubs in the area. Track nights at Longford Park are a regular fixture through the season, and the cross-country section competes in the Northern Athletics leagues through the winter – a discipline for which the varied terrain around south Manchester and into Cheshire provides good preparation.

The club is welcoming to runners at all levels, from those just moving up from parkrun to serious competitive athletes looking for a structured training environment. The Longford Park track is a good venue, and the park itself provides a range of surfaces for training runs. Longford Park is accessible from the Chorlton and Stretford Metrolink stops, and the track hosts open club nights where you can get a feel for the club before committing. Northern cross-country competition in January and February in the hills above Manchester is not for the faint-hearted, but the club structure supports members through it.