OLYMPIC AND EUROPEAN MARATHON CHAMPIONS HEADING FOR BUPA GREAT SOUTH RUN

Olympic and European marathon gold medalists, Constantina Dita and Viktor Rothlin, will line up for the 21st staging of the Bupa Great South Run next month in Portsmouth.

Both endurance stars are likely challengers for the title on October 24, in an event widely acknowledged as one of the best road races on the global circuit. This year, a record 23,000 competitors will be taking part. Dita, the oldest woman ever to win the Olympic marathon, two years ago in Beijing, is now getting down to serious preparation for her bid to retain her crown at the 2012 London Olympic Games. "Of course, as I get older, a few things become a little harder, but age means nothing in marathon running. I'm determined to compete and defend my title in London," said the 40-year-old Romanian. "Races such as the Bupa Great North Run, and now a 10 miler, are the sort of distances which help you prepare, and it's time to start as the next Olympics are coming around pretty quickly." Dita flew in at short notice from her home in Boulder, USA, to compete at the recent Bupa Great North Run, but will be an early arrival in Portsmouth. Rothlin, a superb winner of the European Championships title in Barcelona earlier this year, will compete in only his second race since that victory. Switzerland's former World Championships bronze medallist returned to action in September, when he competed on home soil at the Greifenseelauf half marathon in Uster. He plans to be in razor sharp shape for his appearance at the Bupa Great South Run. "Viktor has competed in several of our races in the Bupa Great Run Series, and recognises the importance of getting in some speed work at shorter distances than the marathon. These days it’s a necessity, given the finishing speed required at the big events," said Peter Riley, elite athletes manager for the meeting. Dita will go head-to-head with former Bupa Great South Run winner, Jo Pavey, at the event, which is the only 10 mile road race in the world which holds an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold Label rating - the highest accolade any road running event can be awarded. Editors notes Nova International The Bupa Great South Run is brought to you by 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 Bupa Great North Run, the world’s largest half marathon 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. 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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