Birmingham’s biggest ever running event took place last weekend with 20,000 runners taking to the streets for the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run and inaugural Birmingham International Marathon, an event with a five-star certification from European Athletics Running for All.
Participants of all ages and abilities took part in the two events on Sunday 15 October and they were cheered on by thousands of spectators lining the routes. The marathon reached capacity months ago after attracting entrants from across the globe and the runners set out on their journey from the famous Alexander Stadium which stages the annual IAAF Diamond League event and British Championships.
The @SimplyhealthUK #GreatBirminghamRun half marathon is GO! Good luck everyone! pic.twitter.com/8PwrFhw6Jp
— Great Run (@Great_Run) October 15, 2017
Among those taking part in the first Birmingham International Marathon was Coventry-born Steve Edwards, 54, one of the world’s leading multi-marathon runners. He completed his 800th marathon in Birmingham, crossing the finish-line in 3:19:39. His average finish time stands at an unbelievable 3:18:12 - the fastest average finish time for such a volume of marathons.
'That was really tough today, the final quarter mile uphill was a killer, I didn't think I was going to get the sub-3:20 but the commentator and crowd were willing me on. I just can't believe I've managed to do it, nobody has averaged under 3:30 for this many marathons so to achieve sub 3:20 is way beyond anything I could have imagined,” he said.
Steve ran his first marathon back in 1988 and he has averaged a marathon every 13 days since then.
First across the finish-line was Christopher Ashford in 2:33:46 while Sophie Kelly won the women’s race in 2:52:28. William Richardson was the runaway winner of the half marathon in 66:38 while his sister Chloe won the women’s race in 81:40.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
More information on Running for All:
Website: european-running4all.org
Twitter: @runningforall
Contact: [email protected]
More information on the European Running Business Conference:
Registration page: https://registration.mylaps.com/business-conference
Contact: [email protected]