ORGANISERS of the 2016 Aldi Manchester Half Marathon have confirmed that television coverage of the race will be broadcast on national television this Saturday October 29.

The half-hour programme will air at 6.40am on Channel 4 and then at 7.40am on Channel 4 + 1 and 4 On Demand.

Created by Dream Team Television, the programme is expected to have a reach of over one million people throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide.

The inaugural Aldi Manchester Half Marathon took place on Sunday October 16 and saw thousands of runners cross the finish line at Emirates Old Trafford, Lancashire County Cricket Club.

The highly anticipated 13.1-mile race was hailed a huge success as beginners, charity runners and a strong field of elites completed the flat and fast course.

Both the men’s and the women’s races saw the race lay its roots as one of the fastest half marathons in the country.

Adam Hickey clinched the men’s title over Matt Bond with just a five second lead, coming in at 01:04:41, while Rebecca Murray claimed the women’s title in 01:12:59 just ahead of Louise Small.

Both Hickey and Murray collected £2,000 in prize money. Hickey and Bond then went on to collect a £500 time bonus for running a sub 65:00 time, and Murray also claimed a £500 time bonus for finishing under 73:30.

As well as capturing the runners, the cameras followed spectators and entertainment along the route.

The programme will be presented by Katharine Merry, former English sprinter and Olympic medalist. Katharine has 30 years of experience at the highest levels of athletics, having progressed from professional sportswoman to successful sports presenter, and she is the only female lead commentator in Athletics.

Katharine presented a programme in April this year covering the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon, the sister race to the Aldi Manchester Half Marathon.

Race Director Simon Hill said: “We are delighted to have secured terrestrial television coverage for the inaugural Aldi Manchester Half Marathon. The race has been embraced by the running community and the television programme will help to raise awareness among a wider audience of Manchester’s exciting new race distance, and of everything the city has to offer.

“We were immensely proud to welcome a strong elite field to our very first event. The event is ideal for all levels of runner wishing to experience a flat and fast course with fantastic support along the way, and we look forward to attracting more elite athletes and first time runners to the 2017 race.

"Our television appearance is a great reward for all the hard work that has gone into staging the very first Aldi Manchester Half Marathon.”

Entries for the 2017 race will open shortly and runners can register their interest on the website in order to qualify for a special early bird offer.

Go to manchesterhalfmarathon.com for further race details.