Race news: Bupa Great South Run - Sunday, October 26, 2014
Twenty-five runners gathered in Portsmouth today to launch the 25th staging of the Bupa Great South Run, which takes place on Sunday 26 October. They celebrated the quarter century milestone armed with memorabilia ranging from medals to newspaper cuttings to photographs dating back to the first event in 1990.
Each runner represented a year that was significant to them, including Gavin Brett, who first completed the 10 miles in 1995. He said: “I was only a young man of eighteen when I did my first ever Great South Run. I wanted to see Frank Bruno who was also running, and I was ecstatic when I overtook him at nine miles. My next Bupa Great South Run was in 2006 and I haven’t missed one since.”
To highlight twenty-five years of the iconic event, organisers Nova International have announced 10 Mile Memories – a campaignencouraging runners to submit their own Bupa Great South Run photos to be displayed on the event’s big screens in October. Out of everyone who submits a photo, one person will be selected at random to win a family trip to France courtesy of Brittany Ferries.
David Hart, communications director at organisers Nova International said: “This is a very exciting year for the Bupa Great South Run. Not only are we celebrating a milestone year, but we’re also looking back at twenty-five years of running memories for thousands of runners.
“It has been an amazing journey for the event, and it could not have happened without the support and enthusiasm of Portsmouth City Council for twenty-four of the twenty-five years.”
Starting life in Southampton in 1990 with just 2,000 participants, the Bupa Great South Run moved to Portsmouth a year later where it now attracts 25,000 runners and is the world’s leading 10 mile running event. The fast and flat course has been graced by world-class athletes such as Liz McColgan, Paula Radcliffe, Sonia O’Sullivan and Mo Farah, who won the men’s race in 2009.
The route offers a unique opportunity to run through the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and pass the Mary Rose Museum, which houses Henry VIII’s flagship that sank in 1545. However it’s not just popular with runners, as each year thousands of local residents gather in their gardens and around the course to support the participants.
The event has grown into a festival of sport in Portsmouth and Southsea, with nearly 30,000 people taking part in four events across two days, including the Bupa Junior & Mini Great South Run and the Bupa Great South Run 5k – introduced in 2011.
Entries are open for the 25th Bupa Great South Run at www.greatrun.org
Find out more about 10 Mile Memories at www.greatrun.org/memories
