LEL TO DEFEND BUPA 30TH GREAT NORTH RUN TITLE AGAINST GEBRSELASSIE AND RITZENHEIN

For Immediate Release Wednesday 25 August 2010 For attention of Sports Desk Former world half marathon champion Martin Lel has confirmed plans to defend his title and chase a third victory at the Bupa 30th Great North Run next month.

Lel, who recently has been racing his way back to fitness in the United States after injury, has been pleased with his comeback results and he confirmed he will be ready for an awesome contest as he aims to defend his crown at the worlds' biggest half marathon race on 19 September 2010. The 29 year old Kenyan will go head-to-head with Haile Gebrselassie himself a former world half marathon gold medallist and record holder and Dathan Ritzehein last year's bronze medallist when the Championships were staged in Birmingham. Lel has scored two breathtaking wins over the Newcastle to South Shields course, in 2007 defeating fellow countryman and current world record holder Sammy Wanjiru in a thrilling sprint finish. Last year he broke for home a little earlier, easing away from team mate Kiplimo Kimutai to post the meeting's second fastest ever time of 59 minutes 32 seconds. That was just two seconds slower than his personal best and given the presence of Gebrselassie who has ran 58min 55sec, and Ritzenhein, the US record holder with a time of exactly one hour, fireworks are expected over the Tyneside course on 19 September. "Given their presence and that of other top stars, we will be hoping that a serious attempt can be made to smash the course record of 59min 05sec which Zersenay Tadese set in 2005," said Andy Caine, the event's elite athlete manager. Caine added: "But there are so many "ifs and buts" about what might happen - take it from me that winning is far more important to an athlete than chasing records so maybe it will be a tactical race. "Lel and Ritzenhein, who was third on his half marathon debut at the Bupa Great North Run in 2006, have the advantage of racing over the course before but I don't think that will bother Haile - he'll just turn up and run without looking at it. "However, I'm sure the trio's competitive ability will guarantee a great race and that should naturally lead to a fast performance with good weather of course, being a key factor." The women's race will see Mara Yamauchi aiming to become the first British champion since Paula Radcliffe in 2003 but it will be difficult for the Tokyo-based athlete. Last year’s champion Jessica Augusto of Portugal is back to defend her title. Berhane Adere of Ethiopia and Kenya's Susan Chepkemei will provide formidable opposition. The Bupa 30th Great North Run is live for four hours on BBC One with an hour highlights programme on BBC Two on the evening of the event. There is also a special network and North East BBC programme celebrating the first 30 years of the GNR due to be televised the week leading up to 19 September. For more information on the Bupa 30th Great North Run visit www.greatrun.org Ends For more information contact: - Lynsey Stephenson 0191 2263249 07595564266 lynsey.stephenson@nova-international.com Editors notes Nova International The Bupa 30th Great North Run is brought to you event organisers Nova International and is sponsored by Bupa. Nova International, headed by Olympic Medallist Brendan Foster is one of the UK’s leading event management and sports marketing agencies. The company’s current brand portfolio also includes some of the biggest running events in the world all based on the Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon event with over 54,000 entries. Nova International was established in 1988 and has a strong sporting pedigree. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Nova have established themselves as a market leader in the world of sports marketing and event management. For more information please visit www.greatrun.org. In The Long Run… 30 Years of the Great North Run Celebrating the 30th staging of the Bupa Great North Run, this major new exhibition explores this enormously popular event. In The Long Run… 30 Years of the Great North Run looks at the significant role this event has played in reflecting and shaping the region's cultural identity. As well as the well known stories of elite runners, In The Long Run will also explore the huge organisational effort behind the Bupa Great North Run, documenting the event’s community spirit and creating a powerful piece of social history. Alongside interactive exhibits, memorabilia and star objects, In The Long Run will present artwork from the archives of Bupa Great North Run Culture and new commissions will be presented by Sir Peter Blake and Claire Leona Apps. About Bupa Bupa’s purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives. A leading international healthcare group, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare. With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare. We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing. Employing over 50,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America. For more information, visit www.bupa.com.

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