Yelling beaten by Partridge at Bupa Great North 10k – Sunderland but upbeat about 2012 Olympics

Commonwealth marathon bronze medallist Liz Yelling remained upbeat about returning to the international stage although beaten into second place by Sue Partridge at the Bupa Great North 10k - Sunderland on Sunday.

Yelling in only her third competition since the birth of daughter Ruby last summer, was no match for her Scottish rival who used the meeting as a preparation for the European Championships marathon in Barcelona at the end of the month. Partridge in the mixed race, was a runway winner by 42 seconds ahead of Yelling in 33 minutes 46 seconds with Kate Goodhead third in 35min 18sec. Yelling was happy with her display and the two-time Olympian is determined she can challenge for a place in the British team when London hosts the 2012 Games. "It was good to get out there and blow away the cobwebs," said Yelling, whose return to action had to be put on hold after picking up an injury in training after winning the Silverstone half marathon in March. "I tore the attachment of my adductor off the pelvis, my pelvis was twisted and I tried to do a session on it," she said. "It took 12 weeks to heal. "I had to take three months out. I was gutted as I felt I was just getting into it again." The 35-year-old with just five weeks proper training before Sunderland under her belt, added: "It was very tough out there and beforehand I thought I was in 33:30-34:30 shape and I did achieve that." Yelling despite losing, insisted: "Yes I am really excited about getting back in great shape and I am going to focus the next two years on qualifying for the 2012 Olympic marathon. "I am so excited about the Olympics coming to London, and this motivates me to qualify for my third Games. I hope my comeback marathon will be the Chicago marathon this October." Partridge who broke clear between four and five kilometres, said: "Liz was just in front of me but I felt really good so I decided to push the pace along. "I'm quite happy as I wanted a race before the Europeans. You can gauge your fitness in training but a race tells you where you are really at and this was a good sharpener for Barcelona." The men's event was won by late entry Kenya's Edwin Kipkorir who in a thriller defeated Austria's Guenther Weidlinger by a second with reigning Boston Marathon champion Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot third. UK-based Kipkorir winner of last weekend's English National 5km title and Weidlinger also preparing for the European Marathon, broke clear of Cheruiytot after eight kilometres. Weidlinger a former Bupa Great Manchester Run title holder began winding up the pace with 500m remaining but lost out in a neck-and-neck sprint as Kipkorir won in 28min 44sec. Weidlinger said: "I'm not the fastest of sprinters so I decided to make a long run for the line and then I kicked again at 200m but couldn't get rid of him. "But I'm still really satisfied and this was a very good preparation for Barcelona. The course is a bit up and down and it was also windy." Results Men 1, E Kipkorir (Kenya) 28 minutes 44 seconds 2, G Weidlinger (Austria) 28:45 3, R-K Cheruiyot (Kenya) 28:51 4, P Wicks (GB) 29:01 5, J Ndayisenga (Burundi) 29:22 6, S Baldini (Italy) 29:31 7, V Rothlin (Switzerland) 29:54 Women 1, S Partridge (GB) 33:46 2, L Yelling (GB) 34:28 3, K Goodhead (GB) 35:18 4, K Grimmett (GB) 35:30 5, A Kibor (Kenya) 36:05 **Photo's to follow from Scott Hepell.** Editor's Notes Nova International The Bupa Great North 10k - Sunderland 2010 is brought to you by event organisers Nova International in partnership with Sunderland City Council. 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 biggest 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 http://www.greatrun.org/;. 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 Sunderland City Council Sunderland City Council and its partners are regenerating the city, building on its assets and developing Sunderland into a place that can offer a better future for residents, visitors, students and businesses. Sunderland combines a quality environment with a smart way of working. The city is building a new image that reflects its light and airy location by the sea and its green environment, as well as its success in embracing and adapting to new technologies. To find out more go to www.sunderland.gov.uk http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/; Alzheimer’s Society Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland are calling for runners to support them in one of the 2010 Bupa Great Runs across the country. For further details visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/greatrun <http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/greatrun>; or telephone 0870 417 0192. Runners in Scotland can visit www.alzscot.org <http://www.alzscot.org/>; or telephone 0845 260 0789. Lynsey Stephenson lynsey.stephenson@nova-international.com 0191 2263249 07595564266

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