Everything you need to know about Sunday’s 10-miler in Portsmouth and Southsea
Chris Thompson will finish his professional career at this weekend’s Great South Run (October 20).
The double Olympian and 2010 European 10,000m silver medallist announced his retirement from elite running last month.
Since then, Thompson has won the 5km at the Great North Run, claimed victory over 10km at the Great Scottish Run and also represented his club Aldershot, Farnham & District AC at the Southern six-stage road relays.
The 43-year-old will compete over both the 5km on Saturday and the main 10-miler on the Sunday in Portsmouth and Southsea.
It will be an emotional weekend and Thompson is set to do a lap of honour after his final race, with a VT showing some of the best moments of his career on a big screen in the background.
He will also be presented with a framed picture from Brendan Foster and will have ‘number one’ on his race vest.
Chris Thompson (Mark Shearman)
Thompson has represented Great Britain at two Olympics, firstly over 10,000m at London 2012 and then in the marathon at Tokyo 2020.
Making his debut at a Games on home soil, Thompson clocked 29:06.12 for 25th in the 10,000m.
Incredibly, nine years later, Thompson qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a personal marathon best of 2:10:52 at the age of 39, just five days after he became a father to son Theo.
He also claimed a medal for Great Britain on the international stage in 2010, securing 10,000m silver behind compatriot Mo Farah at the European Championships.
Thompson made his international debut in 1998 and has represented his country over cross-country, track and the roads.
Jack Rowe (Jerry Sun)
One of the standout names in the men’s field at the Great South Run is Jack Rowe, who has had an incredible last couple of months.
The 28-year-old recently retained his title at the Manchester Half and ran an amazing 62:12 to take the victory.
It was Rowe’s second half-marathon in as many months, after triumphing at the Big Half in 62:35.
The Brit then spent some time on holiday in Greece and returned to the UK to claim victory at the Vitality London 10,000 with a time of 29:14.
Rowe finished 17th over 5000m at the European Championships and then placed third over the distance at the UK Athletics Championships.
He had the 5000m qualifying standard for the Olympics but wasn’t selected for the Games and the three who went were George Mills, Sam Atkin and Patrick Dever.
Ben Connor (David Hewitson)
Ben Connor, who won the Great South Run two years ago, will definitely be one to watch.
The 32-year-old has a wealth of experience and represented Great Britain on multiple occasions, including in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Most recently, Connor placed second behind Hugo Miler at the postponed English National Cross Country Championships.
Jacob Allen, who finished second at last year’s Great South Run, has steadily been building his reputation on the British road racing scene.
The 30-year-old PE teacher has a best of 47:13 over 10 miles and is also prolific at cross-country.
At the English National Cross Country Championships, Allen placed second behind Derby teammate Hugo Milner and is in great form ahead of the Great South Run.
Don’t count out Omar Ahmed as well – the 27-year-old won the Cardiff 10km last month and finished on the podium in Portsmouth last year.
Lily Partridge (Graham Smith)
In the women’s field, Lily Partridge is aiming for an incredible third consecutive Great South Run crown.
The 33-year-old, who boasts a personal marathon best of 2:25:12 and has represented Great Britain at the World Half Marathon Championships, will likely be the one to beat.
Her fastest time over 10 miles is 54:04 and that was set at last year’s Great South Run, so don’t be surprised if she goes even quicker on this occasion.
Partridge will however face stiff competition from the likes of Verity Ockenden, Amelia Quirk and Amy-Eloise Neale.
Ockenden, who claimed 3000m bronze at the 2021 European Indoor Championships, finished second over 5000m at this year’s UK Athletics Championships and also defended her national 5km title at the Great North Run.
Hannah Nuttall pips Verity Ockenden (Getty)
One of the youngest athletes in the field, Quirk has had a rapid rise in British long-distance running. Although she hasn’t competed a huge amount this season, the 24-year-old boasts a personal 10 mile best of 54:37.
She also won the BUCS Cross Country Championships back in February and more recently ran superbly for Aldershot, Farnham & District AC at the Southern six-stage road relays.
A European indoor 3000m champion, Neale is definitely one to look out for at the Great South Run.
The 29-year-old, who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics and at two World and European Championships, has moved up to the 5000m in the past few years.
She placed 19th over 12 and a half laps at this year’s Europeans and has a personal 10 mile best of 54:37.
Amy-Eloise Markovc and Eilish McColgan (Getty)
The running action extends beyond the athletes competing at the front of the pack, with over 25,000 runners – the biggest field for almost a decade – taking part in running events across the Great South Run weekend.
The action kicks off on Saturday with the Junior and Mini Great South Run and the eagerly anticipated 5km. The kids event is the perfect curtain raiser for a weekend of fun, with participants being encouraged to embrace the Super Saturday theme and run in their favourite superhero themed costumes for the chance of winning a prize for best dressed on the day.
The main event, now one of the world’s most popular 10 mile events, follows on Sunday, taking runners on a tour of Portsmouth and Southsea, including Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard and Southsea Castle, with stunning views of the Isle of Wight.
Tens of thousands of spectators will line the streets of Portsmouth & Southsea to cheer runners on and entertainment stations will be positioned throughout the course to keep runners motivated, with millions raised for good causes.
» Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
The post Who, what and when guide: Great South Run appeared first on AW.