18 July 2016 

London 2017 has announced that the non-track events at the IAAF World Championships will be managed by The Great Run Company following an open tender process carried out using standard UKA procurement protocols. 

The events include the men’s and women’s marathons and the 50k and 20k walks.

The Great Run Company specialise in the development, design, organisation and rights management of mass participation sporting events including the world’s biggest half marathon, the Great North Run.

Chief Executive of the Great Run Company, Mark Hollinshead said, “This appointment is testament to the experience and expertise of our team and we look forward to contributing to what will be a tremendous World Championships.”

The championship events, with their circular routes, will give the public a wonderful opportunity, free of charge, to see elite athletes pass them several times from a single vantage point.

Cherry Alexander, Managing Director of London 2017, said “We are delighted to have one of the UK’s premier race management companies on board.  Their skills and expertise from organising the Great North Run and the extensive Great Run series of events will ensure the spectators enjoy an amazing experience on the streets of London during the two weekends of the championships.”

The Men’s and Women’s Marathon will take place on Sunday 6^th August from 1055, with the 20k and 50k walk events taking place a week later, on the Mall from 0800 on Sunday 13 August.  The exact routes, along with the start and finish locations, will be announced later this year. 

London 2017 will be the first time that both the World ParaAthletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships are held in the same city in the same summer. The World ParaAthletics Championships takes place from 14 – 23 July with the IAAF World Championships London 2017 following from 4 – 13 August 2017, both at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

As well as organising the off road events, TV coverage of the championships will be provided by The Great Run Company’s TV production company filmNova, working with Sunset+Vine, who were announced earlier this year as the host broadcaster for the IAAF World Championships.