Brendan Foster

Last updated

Sir
Brendan Foster
CBE
Brendan Foster 1972.jpg
Foster at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
NicknameBig Bren
Born12 January 1948 (1948-01-12) (age 76)
Hebburn, South Tyneside, England
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight10 st 10 lb (150 lb; 68 kg)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)1,500 m, 5,000 m, 10,000 m
ClubGateshead Harriers
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1,500 m – 3:37.64 (1974)
5,000 m – 13:14.6 (1974)
10,000 m – 27:30.3 (1978)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1976 Montréal 10,000 m
European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1974 Rome 5,000 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1971 Helsinki 1,500 m
Representing Flag of England.svg  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1978 Edmonton 10,000 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1974 Christchurch 5,000 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1970 Edinburgh 1,500 m

Sir Brendan Foster CBE (born 12 January 1948 [1] ) is a British former long-distance runner, athletics commentator and road race organiser. He founded the Great North Run, one of the sport's most high profile half-marathon races. As an athlete, he won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics and the gold medal in the 5,000 metres at the 1974 European Championships and the 10,000 metres at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. He later provided commentary and analysis on athletics, particularly long-distance events, for BBC Sport.

Contents

Early life

Educated at St Joseph's RC Grammar School in Hebburn, the University of Sussex and Carnegie College of Physical Education, Foster returned to St Joseph's Grammar School as a chemistry teacher. His pupils included footballer turned manager Phil Brown, whom he tried to encourage to take up running over football. [2]

Athletics career

Brendan Foster's athletic career saw him compete in three Olympic Games, claiming Britain's only track and field medal (bronze in the 10,000 metres) at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In 1973 he broke the World Record for two miles at Crystal Palace with a time of 8:13.68. In 1974 he won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch in a time of 13:14.6 behind Ben Jipcho before winning the European Championships 5,000m, beating Olympic champion Lasse Virén en route to Gold in 13:17.2. When the then world record was within reach, he ran the final lap in a relatively leisurely 62 seconds after establishing a commanding lead before it. In the same year he broke the 3,000m World Record on his home track, Gateshead International Stadium with a time of 7:35.1. That year, Foster was awarded the BBC's prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award.

He established his personal best in the 10,000 m with a time of 27:30.3 run at Crystal Palace on 23 June 1978, while also winning 10,000 m gold at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.

Foster only placed fourth in the 1978 European Athletics Championships 10,000-metre race, but he ran faster than any 10,000-metre European Champion has run ever since (see various European countries' books about the European Athletics Championships from 1982 to 2006). Foster finished fifth in the 1976 Olympics 5,000-metre final, just 1.4 seconds behind the winner, Lasse Viren of Finland. Foster lost all his three Olympic races against Viren – 5,000 and 10,000 m in 1976 and 10,000 m in 1980. [3] [4] [5] In the preliminaries to the 1976 5,000 m race he broke Viren's Olympic record running 13:20.34. That record would hold through the final until it was surpassed in the final of the 1984 Olympics.

Foster's final major race was the 1980 Olympics 10,000-metre final, where he finished eleventh, almost 40 seconds behind the winner, Ethiopia's Miruts Yifter. [3]

In 2010, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.

Business, media and other activities

Brendan joined the sports company Nike International Limited in 1981 as UK managing director. Progressing to European managing director, Vice-President Marketing (Worldwide) and Vice-President of Nike Europe. In 1988 he set up a company, Nova International with three friends from Nike. [6] This company was later renamed to View From International, which won a contract to supply the British athletics team. The brand was later sold to Marks and Spencer in 2002 for an estimated £2m. [7] [8]

After retiring from athletics following the Moscow Olympics in 1980, Foster worked for BBC Television, commentating and reporting on the sport at every major event from 1983 to 2017.

In 1977, he helped organise the "Gateshead Fun Run", a pioneering running event. [9] In 1981, Foster founded the Great North Run, an annual half marathon from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields. The race became the biggest running event in the UK, and one of the biggest half marathons in the world. By 2014, the race had been run by over 1 million competitors, the first IAAF event to pass this milestone. [10] [11] Foster ran in the 2003 event for the first time in many years, after being challenged to do so by radio presenter Ray Stubbs. [12]

Foster has also promoted sport in Ethiopia and other African countries. [1]

Recognition and honours

Foster was Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University from 2005 to 2009. [13] Foster was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1976 New Year Honours for services to athletics, and promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to sport. [14] [15] In December 2016 Foster was given the Freedom of the City of Newcastle, the city's highest honour. [16] In August 2017, in recognition to his major contributions to the advancements of athletics, at a ceremony in London, Foster was awarded the IAAF highest award, the Golden Order of Merit. [17] Foster was knighted in the 2020 Birthday Honours for ‘services to international and national sport and to culture in North East England’. [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Radcliffe</span> British long-distance runner (born 1973)

Paula Jane Radcliffe MBE is a former British long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon, three-time New York Marathon champion, the 2002 Chicago Marathon winner and the 2005 World Champion in the Marathon from Helsinki. She was previously the fastest female marathoner of all time, and held the Women's World Marathon Record with a time of 2:15:25 for 16 years from 2003 to 2019 when it was broken by Brigid Kosgei.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenenisa Bekele</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner (born 1982)

Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre from 2004 until 2020. He won the gold medal in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m and the silver medal in the 5,000 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haile Gebrselassie</span> Ethiopian long-distance runner and businessman (born 1973)

Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian former long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman who is widely regarded as one of the greatest long distance runner of all time. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championship titles over the 10,000 metres. Haile triumphed in the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon. He also earned four world titles indoors and was the 2001 World Half Marathon Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lasse Virén</span> Finnish long-distance runner, police officer, entrepreneur and politician

Lasse Artturi Virén is a Finnish former long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Virén recaptured the image of the "Flying Finns" promoted by runners like Hannes Kolehmainen, Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola in the 1920s. He was elected Finnish Sportsman of the Year in 1972 and 1976 and later became a politician and a member of Finland's parliament in 1999–2007 and 2010–2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Lopes</span> Portuguese long-distance runner (born 1947)

Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes, GCIH is a Portuguese former long-distance runner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zersenay Tadese</span> Eritrean long-distance runner (born 1982)

Zersenay Tadese Habtesilase is a Eritrean long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. His bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Athens Olympics made him the first ever Eritrean Olympic medallist, and his 20-km title at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships also made him the country's first athlete to win at a world championship event. He does not use a sprint finish to win races; his strategy relies on a combination of efficient running and fast pace setting.

The Great North Run is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alistair Cragg</span> Irish long-distance runner

Alistair Ian Cragg is an international track and field athlete.

John Treacy is an Irish Olympian and former athlete, now a sporting administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dathan Ritzenhein</span> American long-distance runner

Dathan James Ritzenhein is a retired American long-distance runner, and current head coach of the On Athletics Club (OAC). He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009 to 2010, until it was broken by Bernard Lagat. He is a three-time national cross country champion with wins at the USA Cross Country Championships in 2005, 2008 and 2010. Formerly a Nike athlete for the majority of his professional career, Dathan joined the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project team in 2017. In early May 2020, he announced his retirement from competition. He signed with the Swiss shoe brand On shortly thereafter in June 2020 and currently acts as the coach for the OAC in Boulder, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martti Vainio</span> Finnish long-distance runner

Martti Olavi Vainio is a Finnish former long-distance runner. In Finland he is recognized as the last of the great runners of the famous "V-line", the previous ones being Juha Väätäinen, Lasse Virén, and Pekka Vasala. Each of them won at least one gold medal either at the Summer Olympics or the European Athletics Championships in the 1970s. Vainio's accomplishments are tarnished though, for testing positive for PEDs on at least two occasions. One of those events was the 1984 Olympic Games where he was disqualified and stripped of his medal and later suspended from sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Pavey</span> British long-distance runner

Joanne Marie Pavey MBE is a British long-distance runner representing Europe, Great Britain and England in a career notable for its longevity, range and consistency. A World, European and Commonwealth medallist, Pavey won her only senior title when she claimed the 10,000 m gold medal at the 2014 European Championships in Zürich, ten months after giving birth to her second child, to become the oldest female European champion in history at the age of 40 years and 325 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo Farah</span> British track and field athlete (born 1983)

Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah is a British-Somali retired long-distance runner. Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals make him the most successful male track distance runner ever, and he is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history. Farah is the first ever global Goodwill Ambassador of the International Organisation for Migration as announced on 28 November 2023 at the 114th Session of the IOM Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Günther Weidlinger</span> Austrian long-distance runner

Günther Weidlinger is an Austrian long-distance runner who is a former 3000 metres steeplechase specialist but now competes in the marathon.

Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand is a retired West German athlete who competed mainly in the 5000 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Thompson (runner)</span> British long-distance runner

Christopher Thompson is a British long-distance runner, who won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, on 27 July 2010 behind his compatriot Mo Farah. Prior to his 2010 medal win he had won the European U23 5000 m Championship in 2003. However he was initially unable to build on this victory, as he had substantial injury problems for a number of years. He is currently coached by Alan Storey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Purdue</span> British long-distance runner

Charlotte Purdue is a British long-distance runner who competes in the Marathon and Half Marathon, as well as cross country running for Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletics Club. After winning a number of youth titles at national level, she had her first international success at the European Cross Country Championships, winning medals in the junior races of 2007 and 2008. She was also the best European junior at the World Cross Country Championships those years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freya Ross</span> Scottish long-distance runner

Freya Ross is a Scottish long-distance runner who competed in the Marathon at the London 2012 Olympics. She mainly competed in road races, but was also successful on the track competing in 5000 metres and 10,000 metres, as well as cross country running. Ross represented Scotland in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. in Delhi in October 2010. Some of her best road racing results were from 2009 and 2010 when she won the Great Ireland Run in 2010 and the Great Yorkshire Run in both 2009 and 2010 setting the course record in 2009. In February 2012, Freya won the Scottish Athletics National Cross Country for the sixth time in seven years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> 2016 Summer Olympics Athletics

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12 to 21 August 2016, at the Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three distinct sets of events: track and field events, road running events, and racewalking events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sifan Hassan</span> Dutch middle- and long-distance runner (born 1993)

Sifan Hassan is an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She is most recognized for her versatility in running championship and world leading performances in widely disparate distances. She completed an unprecedented triple at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, winning gold medals in both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres and a bronze medal for the 1,500 metres. Hassan is the only athlete in Olympic history to win medals across a middle-distance event and both long-distance races in a single Games. She is only the second woman to complete an Olympic distance double.

References

  1. 1 2 Richardson, Andy, ed. (12 January 2018). "Happy Birthday to the Original Great North Runner". The Northern Echo. p. 6. ISSN   2043-0442.
  2. "Hull boss Phil Brown takes on Great North Run challenge". Daily Mirror. 16 September 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  3. 1 2 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Brendan Foster". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015.
  4. Hannus, Matti; "The Thousand Stars of Athletics" ("Tuhat yleisurheilun tähteä"), published in Finland, 1983
  5. Butcher, Pat (2004) "The Perfect Distance – Ovett & Coe: The Record-Breaking Rivalry", Weidenfeld&Nicolson, London
  6. "Brendan Foster takes gold in a very different arena". The Independent. 1 July 1997. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  7. "M&S adds View From sportwear to its line up". The Independent. 6 June 2002. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  8. "Olympic hero sells sports brand". BBC. 5 June 2002. Retrieved 14 November 2009.
  9. Engelbrecht, Gavin (5 June 2013). "North-East fun run was first in the UK". Northern Echo. thenorthernecho.co.uk.
  10. "Great North Run: Thousands complete half-marathon". British Broadcasting Corp. 7 September 2014.
  11. "Great North Run 2014: One millionth finisher crosses line". British Broadcasting Corp. 7 September 2014.
  12. Knight, Tom (18 September 2003). "Foster rejoins party with jog down memory lane". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  13. Ex-Olympian quits university role. BBC News. 28 January 2009
  14. UK list: "No. 46777". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1975. p. 14.
  15. "No. 58557". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2007.
  16. Southern, Keiran (13 December 2016). "Freedom of the City". chroniclelive.co.uk. chronicle. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  17. Athletics Weekly staff (3 August 2017). "Brendan Foster awarded IAAF Golden Order of Merit". athleticsweekly.com. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  18. "No. 63135". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B2.
  19. Kelly, Mike (9 October 2020). "Arise Sir Brendan Foster of Hebburn". chroniclelive.co.uk. chronicle. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
Records
Preceded by Men's 3,000m World Record Holder
3 August 1974 – 27 June 1978
Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by BBC Sports Personality of the Year
1974
Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Men's 3.000m Best Year Performance
1973–74
Succeeded by