All you need to know about the Sunday 10 Mile in Portsmouth and Southsea
Chris Thompson will end his professional career at this weekend’s Great South Run (October 20).
Double Olympian and 2010 European 10,000m silver medalist announced his retirement from the elite run last month.
Since then, Thompson has won the 5km Great Northern Run, won the 10km Great Scottish Run and also represented his club, Aldershot, Farnham & District AC, in the Southern Six Stage Road Relay.
The 43-year-old will compete in both the 5km on Saturday and the 10-miler on Sunday in Portsmouth and Southsea.
It’s going to be an emotional weekend, with Thompson set to take a lap of honor after his final race, with VT showing his career highlights on the big screen in the background.
He will also be presented with a framed picture from Brendan Foster and will have a ‘number one’ on his vest.
Chris Thompson (Mark Shearman)
Thompson has represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games, first over 10,000m at London 2012 and then in the marathon at Tokyo 2020.
Making her Games debut on home soil, Thompson finished 25th in the 10,000m in 29:06.12.
Incredibly, nine years later, Thompson qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a marathon personal best of 2:10:52 at the age of 39, just five days after becoming a father to son Theo.
He also won a medal for Great Britain on the international stage in 2010, securing 10,000m silver from compatriot Mo Farah at the European Championships.
Thompson made his international debut in 1998 and represented his country in cross country, track and road.
Jack Rowe (Jerry Sun)
One of the standout names in the men’s field at the Great Southern Run is Jack Rowe, who has had some incredible results over the past few months.
The 28-year-old recently retained his Manchester Half title and ran an amazing 62:12 to win.
It was Rowe’s second half-marathon in as many months, after winning the Big Half in 62:35.
The Briton then spent some time on holiday in Greece and returned to the UK to win the Vitality London 10,000 in 29:14.
Rowe finished 17th at the European Championships over 5000m and then finished third at the British Athletics Championships over the distance.
He had the Olympic 5000m qualifying standard but was not selected for the Games, with George Mills, Sam Atkin and Patrick Dever all three to go.
Ben Connor (David Hewitson)
Ben Connor, who won the Great South Run two years ago, will be sure to watch.
The 32-year-old has a wealth of experience and has represented Great Britain several times, including in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Most recently Conor finished second to Hugo Miller in the postponed English National Cross Country Championships.
Jacob Allen, who finished second in last year’s Great South Run, has been steadily building his reputation on the British road racing scene.
The 30-year-old PE teacher has a personal best of 47:13 in the 10 mile and is also prolific in cross country.
Allen finished second behind Derby team-mate Hugo Milner in the English National Cross Country Championship and is in excellent form ahead of the Great Southern Run.
Do not consider Omar Ahmed either. The 27-year-old won the Cardiff 10km last month and claimed 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 marathon personal best of 2:25:12 and represented Great Britain at the World Half Marathon Championships, is likely to win.
His fastest time over 10 miles is 54:04 and was set at last year’s Great South Run, so don’t be surprised if he goes even faster on this occasion.
Partridge, however, will face stiff competition from the likes of Verity Ockenden, Amelia Quirk and Amy-Eloise Neale.
Ockenden, who won 3000m bronze at the 2021 European Indoor Championships, finished second in the 5000m at this year’s British Athletics Championships and also defended his national 5km title at the Great North Run.
Hannah Nuttall pips Verity Ockenden (Getty)
One of the youngest athletes in the field, Quirk has seen a rapid rise in British distance running. Although she hasn’t had much competition this season, the 24-year-old boasts a 10-mile personal best of 54:37.
He also won the BUCS Cross Country Championships back in February and recently ran superbly for Aldershot, Farnham & District AC in the South Six Stage Road Relays.
European 3000m indoor champion Neil is certainly one to watch out for at the Great Southern.
The 29-year-old, who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics and two World and European Championships, has stepped up to the 5,000m distance in the past few years.
He finished 19th at this year’s Europeans over 12 and a half laps and has a 10 mile best of 54:37.
Amy-Eloise Markovc and Elish McColgan (Getty)
Running extends beyond the front of the pack, with more than 25,000 runners, the largest field in nearly a decade, taking part in running events across the Great South Run weekend.
Action kicks off on Saturday with the Junior and Mini Great South Run and the eagerly awaited 5km. The kids’ event is the perfect cap to a weekend of fun, with attendees encouraged to embrace the Super Week theme and run around in their favorite superhero-themed costumes for a chance to win 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 Historic Portsmouth Harbor and Southsea Castle, with stunning views of the Isle of Wight.
Tens of thousands of spectators will line the streets of Portsmouth and Southsea to cheer on the runners, with entertainment stations set up throughout to keep runners motivated, with millions turning out for a good cause.
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