23 February 2011

There is now less than a month to go before the 2011 runbritain grand prix gets underway. The first event in the series is the Reading Half Marathon which has attracted a top quality field of athletes intent on claiming some of the £55,000 of British-only prize money.

Phil Wicks has confirmed his entry and with a personal best time of 62:51 is looking likely to be the favourite. The field has a mix of experience and fast improving runners. The very experienced Dan Robinson (coach: Christopher Frapwell) has signed up along with Chris Davies who has a wealth of experience over the shorter distances but is relatively new to the half marathon. Tactical conditions could suit him, especially if he is still with the leaders in the final mile.

Liz Yelling has confirmed her intention to compete for the women’s title and she will be joined by two of the team that won bronze medals in the European marathon championships last year, Susan Partridge (coach: John Montgomery) and Michelle Ross-Cope (coach: Bud Baldaro). Partridge is currently preparing at altitude in Boulder, Colorado, along with Becky Penty who has also signed up. Justina Heslop will make her debut at the distance. She has run 55:51 for ten miles on a very hilly course and so looks set to impress.

The runbritain Grand Prix will then go on to Bristol for the Bristol 10k on 15 May before heading to London, Swansea and Birmingham for the remainder of the series.

For more information, please click HERE.

You can benchmark your own progress using the runbritain handicap scoring system – nearly 10,000 runners have claimed their handicap so far!

To claim your handicap, click HERE.