24th October 2014

Double European medallist Andy Vernon (Coach: Nic Bideau) will lead the British challenge at the 25th staging of the Bupa Great South Run in Portsmouth on Sunday 26 October. Fresh from a half marathon personal best at the Great North Run, Gemma Steel (John Nuttall) will be looking to challenge for the title in the women’s race on the south coast over the ten mile distance.

Vernon won silver in the 10,000m and bronze in the 5000m at the European Championships in Zurich behind Mo Farah, his first senior medals on the track after years of success in the cross country events. After setting a personal best of 62:46 in the half marathon at the Great North Run in September, he will be hoping for more quick times but this time over ten miles. He finished fourth on his appearance last year at the event so he will be hoping to translate his success on the track this year into good form on the roads.

He will face tough opposition with a field including the defending champion, Emmanuel Bett from Kenya. There are several Commonwealth Games medallists on show in the men’s race, with Australian marathon winner, Michael Shelley, and Josphat Bett, the 10,000m silver medallist, taking to the streets of Portsmouth. Daniele Meucci, the Italian European marathon champion in Zurich, will look to challenge at the front as well.

The other British challenges will come from Jonny Mellor (Steve Vernon) who competed for England at the Commonwealth Games and set a new 5000m personal best earlier this summer; marathoner Scott Overall (Alan Storey); the 2014 British half marathon champion Ryan McLeod, and Great Yorkshire Run winner, Ross Millington (Vernon).

The women’s race is also shaping up to be an entertaining encounter with a Gemma Steel taking on Olympic and World medallists. Steel will return to the roads after her second place finish in a time of 68:13 in South Shields at the Great North Run. She will be looking for more success but this time over the shorter ten mile distance.

Last month when we caught up with Steel, she was in high spirits ahead of the Great South Run.
 
“John (Nuttall) thinks I can go for a really fast time there. It’s sort of like my ideal distance between a 10k and half marathon so I might run a good time there and even surprise myself again.”

However, she will face Priscah Jeptoo, the 2012 Olympic and 2011 world marathon silver medallist, and Linet Masai, the 2009 world 10,000m silver medallist who finished third in the Great Birmingham Run. Polline Wanjiku, the winner in Birmingham last weekend will be looking to continue her good form and could be a challenger over the ten mile distance.

The Brits taking on the course in the women’s race include Commonwealth 5000m finalist Laura Whittle (George Gandy); the European Cross Country team gold medallist from last year Lauren Deadman (Bill Foster), and Emily Wicks (Keith Donkin) who won the Manchester marathon in April this year.

For more information on the event, visit the website here.

Full coverage of the event will be on Channel 5 from 10am on Sunday morning.