Manchester Half Marathon 2025: Running a PB While Ill

The Night Before

The day before the Manchester Half Marathon, I woke up with a sore throat. By the evening I was in full cold mode — blocked nose, headache, the works. I downed cold and flu tablets, set my alarm, and tried to sleep. Tried being the key word. Between the congestion and the race nerves, I barely slept at all.

At 6am I seriously considered pulling out. But I had trained for this, I had the fitness, and sometimes you just have to show up and see what happens.

The Race

I loaded up on more cold and flu tablets before the start and told myself to run by feel. If it felt awful, I would jog it. If my body cooperated, I would push.

The first few kilometres felt heavy. My breathing was restricted and I could not take in air as easily as normal. But as the race went on and my body warmed up, something shifted. By 10K I was running comfortably and starting to believe a good time was possible.

I came through the finish in 1:37:47 — a personal best. Honestly, I think I had a bit more in the tank too. It turns out that when you cannot overthink because your brain is foggy with cold medication, you just run. Sometimes that is all you need to do.

The Takeaway

I am not saying you should run races while ill. Listen to your body, and if you have a fever or chest symptoms, absolutely do not race. But a head cold with some tablets? Sometimes the best performances come on the days you least expect them.