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The Great Run British Marathon Series is a series of long-distance running events organised by The Great Run Company taking place across the United Kingdom.
It currently comprises the Birmingham International Marathon in the Midlands and the Stirling Scottish Marathon in Scotland, with a third event yet to be announced.
The Stirling Scottish Marathon, supported by Scottish Athletics and Stirling Council, will take place on 21 May 2017. Starting west of the city at Blair Drummond Safari Park, the route will incorporate Stirlingshire countryside and landmarks including Doune Castle and Bridge of Allan before finishing beneath Stirling Castle.
The 2017 Birmingham International Marathon will take place in October 2017, on the same day as the existing Great Birmingham Run. The event will start at Alexander Stadium, home of UK Athletics, before taking in Bournville, Cannon Hill Park and Edgbaston, before finishing in the heart of the city centre.
The men's marathon race of the 1908 Summer Olympics took place in London on 24 July 1908. Johnny Hayes won after Dorando Pietri was disqualified for having received assistance before the finish line. For the first time in an Olympic marathon, the distance was 26 mi 385 yd (42.195 km), which would become the standard distance in 1921. 75 competitors entered the race, of whom 55 from 16 nations started, with 27 from 11 nations finishing. NOCs could enter up to 12 athletes. The United States and South Africa each won their first Olympic marathon medals.
The Edinburgh Marathon is an annual marathon event, governed by Scottish Athletics and run in Scotland over the traditional distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi). The first marathon event in Edinburgh was in 1982. Further marathons were held in Edinburgh in 1986 and 1999. Since 2003 the Edinburgh Marathon Festival has been held each year, usually in May. The current route begins in the city centre, moves out of Edinburgh into East Lothian, finishing at Musselburgh, East Lothian.
Micah Kemboi Kogo is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in the 10,000 metres. He is the former world record holder in the 10 kilometres road race event with a time of 27:01. He made his first Olympic appearance in 2008, taking the 10,000 m bronze medal in Beijing. His 10000m best of 26.35 is 6th fastest of all time.
The Great Bristol Half Marathon is an annual road running event held on the streets of Bristol, UK. The route is at sea level and starts on Anchor Road outside We The Curious. Participants make their way toward Hotwells before heading under the Clifton Suspension Bridge and along the Portway toward Sea Mills before returning the same way then navigating around Cumberland Basin then along Spike Island before crossing Prince Street Bridge, circling Queen Square then heading to Castle Park via St Mary Redcliffe and Temple Circus. The final mile and a half take place in the Old City and Bristol city centre before crossing the finish line back at Anchor Road.
Benjamin Basil Heatley was a British competitive long-distance runner, who was an Olympic marathon silver medallist and former world marathon record-holder. Although he favoured cross country running, he was also a skilled marathon runner and, despite running shoe technology being in its infancy, he was able to adapt easily to the change of conditions underfoot.
Caroline Cheptanui Kilel is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes road running competitions, including the marathon. She was the winner at the 2011 Boston Marathon and the Frankfurt Marathon in 2010 and 2013.
The Cardiff Half Marathon is an annual half marathon race held in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff, taking place in October. The event was established in 2003, initially alongside the Cardiff Marathon, however, due to the increasing popularity of the Half Marathon, the Marathon distance was dropped after 2006. The race was originally organised by the children’s charity Barnardo’s. Now organised by Run 4 Wales, the race has grown to accommodate up to 25,000 runners. Also in partnership with the race is Cardiff Council, the Vale of Glamorgan Council, the Welsh Government, Welsh Athletics and title sponsors Cardiff University.
Andrew Lemoncello is a Scottish long distance runner who competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase and the marathon events. He won a team junior gold medal at the 2001 European Cross Country Championships and won a scholarship to attend Florida State University in 2004. At Florida State he was second in the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the steeplechase.
Mary Jepkosgei Keitany is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. She is the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. As of November 2019, she sits third all-time at both the marathon and half marathon.
The Perkins Great Eastern Run is a running event that takes place every year in Peterborough, United Kingdom, generally in mid-October. The event returned in 2006 after a 10-year absence and is rapidly gaining popularity. Currently, there are three races in the whole event:
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.
The Prague Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Spring on the city streets of Prague, Czech Republic, first held in 1999. It is managed by the same organisation that holds the Prague Marathon in May. The race has a loop course, starting and ending in Jan Palach Square near the Rudolfinum, and largely follows the Vltava river. The competition has enjoyed an increasing level of participation, with around 6500 participants in 2009 and almost 8500 runners taking part in the 2010 event.
Collis Birmingham is an Australian middle- and long distance runner. He is a two-time participant at the Summer Olympics and four-times at the World Championships in Athletics. He has competed at five editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He was an Australian and Oceanian 10,000 metres record holder from 2009 to 2011.
Gemma Steel is a British long-distance runner who competes in road running and cross country running competitions. She was the 2014 gold medallist at the European Cross Country Championships. She has represented Great Britain internationally in cross country, road and track events. She has won at three of the Great Run series events: the Great Ireland Run, Great Birmingham Run and Great Yorkshire Run. She has also won the Bristol Half Marathon and placed seventh at the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Susan Partridge is a British long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. Her personal best for the distance is 2:30:46 hours. She has represented Britain in the marathon at the European Athletics Championships and the World Championships in Athletics, as well as competing for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.
The Great Scottish Run is a series of mass-participation road running events, held annually in the streets of Glasgow, Scotland in October. The event began as a full marathon in 1979, but later changed to a weekend of shorter events. The weekend now includes short events for children, a 10K roadrace, and a half marathon. The 2013 event, which was sponsored by the Bank of Scotland, featured over 30,000 competitors. It is the largest mass-participation sporting event in Scotland.
The Birmingham International Marathon was a long-distance running event held in Birmingham, UK. It formed part of the Great Run British Marathon Series. The first event was held on 15 October 2017, the same day as the existing Great Birmingham Run in the city centre. The event was cancelled the following year, with organisers blaming the city's ongoing roadworks.
Callum Hawkins is a British distance runner, who competed in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He is the Scottish record holder in the marathon and the British all-time number three at that distance behind Mo Farah and Steve Jones. Hawkins is also the all-time Great Britain number two in the half marathon. He is the Great Scottish Run course record holder and was the first British man to win that event in 23 years.
The Stirling Scottish Marathon, previously named the Great Stirling Run between 2018 and 2019, is a long-distance running event held in Stirling, Scotland. The first event was held on 21 May 2017, with the subsequent event taking place on 29 April 2018 when the event introduced a half marathon alongside the existing marathon. After the race cancellation in 2020, the event reverts to its former name and has been scheduled for 15th of May 2022.
The Great Birmingham 10K is an annual road running event in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom.
