Great Run
Encyclopedia
The Great Run is a series of road running
events around the United Kingdom
, which includes the Great North Run
. The Great Run is a part of the NOVA international sporting group, which was launched by retired athlete Brendan Foster
. The group specialises in half marathon
road running
events but also hosts smaller runs for children (sometimes in conjunction with the larger 10 kilometres race).
Bupa
has been title partner of the Great Run Series for the last 18 years, one of Britain’s longest ever sports sponsorship agreements.
Three of the runs have obtained IAAF Gold Label Road Race status: the Great Manchester Run
, the Great North Run
, and the Great South Run
. The designation signifies that the races are among the premier competitions of their type.
In the early 2000s, the series expanded beyond the UK and established Great Run races in the Republic of Ireland
, Ethiopia
and Australia
.
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
events around the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which includes the Great North Run
Great North Run
The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
. The Great Run is a part of the NOVA international sporting group, which was launched by retired athlete Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster CBE is a British former distance runner, entrepreneur and the founder of the Great North Run. He won the Bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics...
. The group specialises in half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
road running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
events but also hosts smaller runs for children (sometimes in conjunction with the larger 10 kilometres race).
Bupa
Bupa
Bupa is a large British healthcare organisation, with bases on three continents and more than ten million customers in over 200 countries. It is a private healthcare company, in direct contrast to the UK's National Health Services, which are tax-funded healthcare systems and do not require private...
has been title partner of the Great Run Series for the last 18 years, one of Britain’s longest ever sports sponsorship agreements.
Three of the runs have obtained IAAF Gold Label Road Race status: the Great Manchester Run
Great Manchester Run
The Bupa Great Manchester Run is an annual 10 kilometre run through the streets in Manchester city centre, which was established in 2003. Usually held in mid-May, it is among the largest and most prestigious mass participation runs in the United Kingdom...
, the Great North Run
Great North Run
The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
, and the Great South Run
Great South Run
The Bupa Great South Run is an annual 10 miles road running race which takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Launched in 1990, it is part of the Great Run series created by former British athlete Brendan Foster...
. The designation signifies that the races are among the premier competitions of their type.
In the early 2000s, the series expanded beyond the UK and established Great Run races in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Current list of events
- Great Australian RunGreat Australian RunThe Great Australian Run is an annual 15 kilometres road running race which normally takes place in November in Melbourne, Australia. First held in 2008, it is an international version of the British-based Great Run series....
- Great Birmingham RunGreat Birmingham RunThe Great Birmingham Run is an annual half marathon road running event held in Birmingham, UK in October. Formerly known as the Birmingham Half Marathon, from 2011 it became part of the Great Run series of road races....
- Great Capital RunGreat Capital RunThe BUPA Great Capital Run is a run through the paths of Hyde Park, London which was established in 2007. It is one races of the Great Run series.-Junior Great Capital Run:The brand new event for 2008 for 8-to-14-year-olds is a run...
- Great Edinburgh RunGreat Edinburgh RunThe Great Edinburgh Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in early October in the city centre of Edinburgh in Scotland. Part of the Great Run series of competitions, it attracts top level runners and also features a 5K race for fun runners.The event was first held in...
- Great Ethiopian RunGreat Ethiopian RunThe Great Ethiopian Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.The competition was first envisioned by neighbors Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie, Peter Middlebrook and Abi Masefield in late October 2000, following Haile's return...
- Great Ireland RunGreat Ireland RunThe Great Ireland Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running competition which is held in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland in mid-April. It is part of the Great Run series of athletics competitions and it also holds IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status...
, Dublin - Great Manchester RunGreat Manchester RunThe Bupa Great Manchester Run is an annual 10 kilometre run through the streets in Manchester city centre, which was established in 2003. Usually held in mid-May, it is among the largest and most prestigious mass participation runs in the United Kingdom...
- Great North 10K, Sunderland
- Great North RunGreat North RunThe Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
- Great South RunGreat South RunThe Bupa Great South Run is an annual 10 miles road running race which takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Launched in 1990, it is part of the Great Run series created by former British athlete Brendan Foster...
- Great Winter Run/Great Edinburgh International Cross CountryGreat Edinburgh International Cross CountryThe Great Edinburgh International Cross Country is an annual cross country running competition that takes place every January in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is one of the competitions in the Great Run series of athletics events and is held alongside the Great Winter Run 5 kilometres mass...
- Great Yorkshire RunGreat Yorkshire RunThe Great Yorkshire Run is an annual road-race event run in Sheffield City Centre. It is a part of the Great Run series of events, and as such is linked with the Great North Run...