Running 26.2 miles round Manchester on Sunday 19 April is already a fairly strong argument for treating yourself afterwards, but adidas and JD have gone one better by sorting the city’s marathon finishers with free Nell’s Pizza at Kampus.
Anyone taking on the adidas Manchester Marathon this Sunday can head to Nell’s at Kampus after the race, flash their 2026 finisher’s medal, and claim a free slice of the good stuff plus a drink. Which, after several hours of running, sweating, cramping, questioning your life choices and pretending you’re still enjoying it, should land very nicely.
The giveaway is happening to mark the launch of the new adidas EVO SL ATRs, with adidas and JD taking over The Bungalow next to Nell’s for an all-day post-race hangout. So this is not just a case of grabbing a slice and immediately limping off home. They’re making a proper thing of it.
Alongside the pizza, runners will be able to get hold of exclusive t-shirts and enter a series of giveaways including a pair of EVO SL ATRs, adidas merch and other prizes. There’ll also be a live DJ, which feels like a much kinder soundtrack to recovery than the sound of your own knees.
And in a rare moment of generosity towards the people who have not just run a marathon, friends and family are welcome too. adidas is calling it a team effort, which is fair enough. Nobody gets through marathon day without at least one person standing on a pavement holding a banana and shouting something unintentionally useless like “you’re nearly there” at mile 18.
The event runs from 12pm until 8pm on Sunday 19 April at The Bungalow, Kampus, on Aytoun Street, right next to Nell’s. The pizza is first come, first served. If you’ve just completed a marathon, being asked to move with any urgency towards a slice of NYC-style pizza might feel slightly cruel, but this is the final challenge.
There’ll also be photo moments and more general post-race bits going on across the space, so even if your body has fully given up by then, there’s still enough happening to make it worth swinging by. It’s a very decent shout: somewhere central, some free food, a drink, some music, and the chance to stand around comparing times while eating carbs you have absolutely earned.
For anyone already eyeing up their reward meal before they’ve even crossed the finish line, this is probably one of the better options going. Nell’s is hardly a consolation prize, and there are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than parked up in the sun at Kampus with a slice in one hand and your medal still round your neck.
So if you’re running the Manchester Marathon this weekend, you may want to make Nell’s your next stop after the finish line. Show your medal, get fed, enter the giveaways, and try to recover with a bit more style than collapsing face-down on the nearest available sofa. That can wait until later.
