Warning of road closures during ironman weekend

Road users are being urged to plan ahead as one of Greater Manchester's biggest weekends of sport rolls into town.

Temporary road closures are expected as the Ironman Bolton weekend returns from Friday 5 June to Sunday 7 June, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Closures for the main event on Sunday will extend from Pennington Flash to Bolton - mainly affecting Chorley New Road and the town centre. The town centre and Middlebrook retail park will be open as normal all weekend.

With thousands of people taking part in three different events across the weekend, Bolton Council said the temporary closures were necessary to ensure the safety of residents, competitors and spectators.

The weekend will kick off with a night run around Bolton town centre on the Friday and a children's event on the Saturday.

For the main event on Sunday, a one-loop 1.2-mile swim takes place at Pennington Flash Country Park, near Leigh, starting at 06:15 BST.

Following the swim, the 56-mile bike course starts at Pennington Flash, heads onto Atherleigh Way (A579), continues through Chew Moor and Lostock before returning to Bolton.

The two-loop 13.1 mile run course laps around Bolton town centre before ascending through Queen's Park onto Chorley New Road - before hitting the finish line in front of Bolton Town Hall.

British Triathlon describes the "middle distance" event as "a great first timer event with a calm lake swim, low bike elevation and town centre run course".

Further details on specific closures - including a live closure map - can be accessed on the Ironman Bolton website.

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