Channel 5 to broadcast Great Birmingham Run

September 4, 2011   ·   0 Comments

The new look Bupa Great Birmingham Run 2011 will be televised live on Channel 5. The event, previously known as the Birmingham Half Marathon, will take place on Sunday October 23rd with a city centre start and finish.

Expected to attract a record entry of 15,000 runners, the Bupa Great Birmingham Run will showcase the best of England’s second city following a scenic course which takes in many well-known city landmarks including Edgbaston cricket ground, Cannon Hill Park and Cadburys World.

Former world marathon record-holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia will compete in the event.  Gebrselassie recently saw his world marathon record broken by Kenya’s Patrick Makau in Berlin, a race the Ethiopian failed to finish, but the 38-year-old is still determined to compete in next year’s Olympics in London.

Brendan Foster, chairman of race organisers Nova International, said: ‘To bring the greatest runner of all time, Haile Gebrselassie, to one of the biggest cities in the UK for the first staging of the Bupa Great Birmingham Run will be fantastic.

‘He’ll be running over the half-marathon distance, where he is a past world record holder, and I’m sure he will be looking to achieve something special as we bid to make the Bupa Great Birmingham Run another major asset in our global running programme.’

Cllr Martin Mullaney, Birmingham City Council Member for Leisure said, “We are delighted that channel 5 will be broadcasting the action live across the UK and it’s a real indication of the status of the event.

“We know that the people of Birmingham are very proud of this event which provides a marvellous opportunity to celebrate all that is good about our city”

As with all Great Runs, the Bupa Great Birmingham Run is expected to raise considerable sums of money for a raft of good causes.

Former England footballer Geoff Thomas will be taking part – he was diagnosed with leukaemia within a year of retiring from professional sport. Geoff will be running for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Foundation, as without the bone marrow transplant he had in Birmingham in 2004, he would have died.

Also taking to the streets of Birmingham will be Angela Lonsdale, representing Bupa’s nominated charity, the Alzheimer’s Society. Angela starred in the TV drama Doctors, which was based in Birmingham and has become one of Britain’s best known actors.

Although the 13.1 mile course will be similar to previous years, after consultation with runners, the start and finish areas are being significantly modified to improve the overall experience. Extra on-course entertainment celebrating the unique cultural diversity of the city is also being planned.

Channel 5 are also to broadcast live coverage of the Great Edinburgh Run on Sunday 2 October, and the Bupa Great South Run on Sunday 30 October 2011.

The Bupa Great Birmingham Run is live on Channel 5 at 9.45am on Sunday 23 October. 

Tags: Cannon Hill Park, Channel 5, Edgbaston, Great Birmingham Run, Great Edinburgh Run, Great South Run