| Great Eastern Run | |
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Great Eastern Run Logo |
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| Date | 10 October 2010 |
| Location | Peterborough, United Kingdom |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Half marathon |
The Perkins Great Eastern Run is a running event that takes place every year in Peterborough, United Kingdom, generally in mid-October. The event returned in 2006 after a 10-year absence and is rapidly gaining popularity. Currently, there are three races in the whole event:
Half Marathon - A 21.0975-kilometre (13.1094 mi) race which winds its way through the city's streets
Fun Run - A 4 km run which starts and finishes at the same place as the half marathon
Wheelchair Race - This follows the same route as the half marathon
Despite its name, the Great Eastern Run is not a part of the Great Run series of events, which includes the Great North Run.
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The first Great Eastern Run took place in 1982, boasting only a half marathon. The event was much less popular and well-known than it is today. This format existed for well over a decade, until 1996, when the half marathon vanished and was replaced with two different events: A 10km run around the East of England Showground and a shorter race known as the Arthur Bowden 5.[1] With so few events, the Run became less and less popular and gradually deteriorated into almost nothing.
However, the Great Eastern Run was relaunched in 2006 with the half marathon returning as the main event, much to the delight of keen runners across the country. Roughly 3,000 runners took part in the whole event.[2] A prize list totalling to roughly £11,000 was announced, taking the race into the top five in the country for total prize money.[3] Perkins Engines announced that they would sponsor the 2006 race - the deal has been so successful that the company still sponsors the Great Eastern Run today.[4] At the 2006 England Athletics East Region Awards, the Great Eastern Run's committee (consisting of Peterborough City Council, Perkins Engines and local running clubs) won the Athletics Partnership of the Year Award.[5]
Due to the success of the 2006 event, the Great Eastern Run took place again in 2007, with well over 3,000 runners taking part. 2,285 people managed to complete the half marathon.[6] The number of entrants for the event increased by 20%, with the number of fun runners almost doubling.[7] In a poll of the readers of Runner's World magazine, the Great Eastern Run achieved a top 50 rating out of 736 races across the United Kingdom.[8]
The 2008 event again saw an increase in the number of entrants, with approximately 4,450 runners taking to the streets of Peterborough.[9]
Roughly 3,480 runners took part in the half marathon of the 2009 event, with about 1,300 people competing in the fun run.[10] For the first time, the fun run was chip timed and was advertised as being 4 km in length (in previous years it had been advertised as 5 km). All three races were started by Barry Fry, the director of football at Peterborough United.[11]
The 2010 event was unique because it took place at a time and date consisting purely of the number 10. The half marathon started at 10 seconds past 10:10, with the date being 10/10/10. Record numbers of runners took part, though the event was overshadowed by the deaths of two runners in the half marathon. Detective Constable Rob Davys collapsed during the race and was taken to Peterborough District Hospital. Despite the efforts of paramedics, he was later pronounced dead. A local runner also collapsed shortly after the race - he too was pronounced dead at the hospital. These were the first fatalities in the Great Eastern Run since the event was relaunched in 2006. The high temperatures meant that in total, 15 people required medical attention.[12][13]
The route is very flat, with a rise of only 13 metres.[14] All events start in Cathedral Square, in the city centre. The half marathon and wheelchair race then follow the same route. The route runs through Eastfield, before moving on through Dogsthorpe and then Paston. The first water station is located between Paston and Gunthorpe, through which the route next runs. The route then reaches Werrington, the northern-most part of the city itself. Another water station is located here, roughly a mile before the half-way point. The route then turns back and heads through Walton, where the third water station is located. Runners pass through Paston again before heading all the way down to Central Park, where the fourth and final water station is located. The route then heads through Eastfield again and Eastgate. The finish line is located on the city's embankment.
The fun run route is much shorter, only running as far as Eastfield. Runners pass by Peterborough Regional College, before heading down the same 2-mile (3.2 km) finishing straight as the half marathon.
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