Great West Run
Encyclopedia
The Great West Run is an annual road running
event held through the streets of Exeter
, usually in late April. It was first run in 1985. Originally run as a marathon
, in recent years it has always been run as a half marathon
. It attracts mainly regional entrants; winning times in 2004 and 2005 were 70 and 68 minutes respectively. For some years it was sponsored by Friends Provident
; in 2008 and 2009 the chief sponsor was the Guildhall Shopping Centre in central Exeter.
Currently 2750 entries are permitted. Junior and family 1.5-mile events take place in parallel to the main run.
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...
event held through the streets of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, usually in late April. It was first run in 1985. Originally run as a marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, in recent years it has always been run as a 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...
. It attracts mainly regional entrants; winning times in 2004 and 2005 were 70 and 68 minutes respectively. For some years it was sponsored by Friends Provident
Friends Provident
Friends Provident was an organisation offering life insurance based in the United Kingdom. It was founded as a mutual Friendly Society for Quakers, although it was demutualised in 2001 and became a publicly listed company, no longer linked with the Religious Society of Friends...
; in 2008 and 2009 the chief sponsor was the Guildhall Shopping Centre in central Exeter.
Currently 2750 entries are permitted. Junior and family 1.5-mile events take place in parallel to the main run.
- The 2006 event took place on 30 April and was won in a time of 70 minutes.
- The 2008 event took place on 4 May.
- The 2009 event took place on 3 May, and was won in a time of 69 minutes 3 seconds by Kairn Stone. The first woman to complete was Heather Foundling-Hawker, in a time of 83 minutes 41 seconds, in 29th position over all. 2286 runners were recorded as starting, of whom 2258 were recorded as finishing.