Sunday’s Perkins Great Eastern Run promises to be the best yet in terms of quantity and quality.
There’ll be a record number of runners racing round the city from 10.30am onwards and at the front of the 5,000-strong field there’ll be a star-studded cast of elite runners.
Once again Kenyans are expected to be at the forefront of affairs for the full 13 miles with Luka Rotich (24) and Benson Olenakeri (30) the two biggest fancies.
Both are in red-hot form but it’s Olenakeri who goes into the race with the slightly better personal best (PB).
He clocked a scorching 61.07 when winning the Wachau Half-Marathon in Austria two weeks ago and back in April he won the big Madrid Half-Marathon in 62.12.
Rotich has a best of 61.39 which he set two weeks ago when claiming scond place in the Robin Hood Half-Marathon in Nottingham.
The Great Eastern Run course has been improved this year with many of the tight twists and turns eliminated, and if the weather conditions are favourable then either of these two Kenyan speedsters can provide Peterborough with its first ever sub 62-minute run.
The quickest half-marathon came two years ago when Edwin Kipyego sped round the city streets in 62.16 and last year, yet another Kenyan - Edwin Kiptoo - won in 62.28.
It looks like being a similar story in the women’s race with Kenyan duo Agnes Chibet (18) and Emilly Biwott (27) vying for top spot.
Biwott won the Bristol Half-Marathon last month in a course record 71.20 while Chibet took the honours in Nottingham in 73.33.
Although the Kenyan contingent are expected to dominate, there’s plenty at stake this year for the Brits. Not only is there improved prize money for them - £1,000 for the first UK runner home (men and women) and £5,000 time bonuses for breaking 61 minutes (men) and 68 minutes (women), but this year the run also incorporates the British Half-Marathon Championships and the last leg of the UK Athletics Grand Prix Series spread over five races.
Paul Martinelli from the Victoria Park club in London could be the Brit to beat.
He was just behind the Kenyans in the Bristol Half-Marathon when unluckily taking a wrong turn at 12 miles and he’s well up in the Grand Prix Series.
Also in with a shout of overall success in that series are Tipton’s Martin Williams, Jon Pepper from Enfield, Hugh Torry from Serpentine and Martin Sanders from Leeds so a cracking contest should ensue there.
And there are a handful of runners still in the running for the women’s Grand Prix prize. Emily Wicks (Farnham), Getenesh Tamirat (Birchfield), Andrea Whitcombe (Swanea), Amy Whitehead (Notts AC), Victoria Calloway (Hallamshire) and Sara Streadling (Colchester) are the main contenders.
Locally there is no doubt about the strongest female runner. Nene Valley Harrier Phillipa Taylor won the Over 40 women’s age group last year for a fifth successive time and should do so again.
Spalding’s John Pike, who runs for Newham and Essex, was eighth last year in a personal best 70.31 and could be top local man again. He won the Peterborough 5k Series with ease and was first in the West Pinchbeck 10k a fortnight ago.
Michael Moore (Werrington Joggers) and John Herbert (Nene Valley Harriers) will be pushing hard in the veteran’s category and face stiff opposition from Adrian Mussett from Colchester.
Phil Hogg from Heanor in Derbyshire is the leading wheelchair entrant. He was second to Olympic sensation David Weir in the Great North Run last month in 49.52.
Race commentator Dick Hughes has been involved in all previous Great Eastern Runs but has never looked forward to the race more than this year.
“It should be a cracker, “ he said. “Once again the RunFast team are supporting us with their Kenyans but there is so much at stake for the British runners this year as well.
“Incorporating the British Championships is a real feather in our cap and with the new course we should see a pretty fast time.
“People are coming from further afield every year. The Great Eastern Run is now firmly established as one of the top half-marathons in the country.”
Course changes for 2012
The course for the 2012 race has a number of changes compared to previous years.
The major change is that both the fun run and half-marathon will start and finish at The Embankment.
The half-marathon race will leave The Embankment, turning right on to Rivergate, then left onto the southbound lane of Bourges Boulevard before turning right into Priestgate.
Competitors will then head to Bridge Street emerging opposite the Town Hall before making their way through Cathedral Square and up to Long Causeway and then Broadway.
The runners will complete the first mile in Broadway opposite Fitzwilliam Street and head towards the Central Park.
A left turn into Park Crescent will take the field round the Park and into Park Road where they’ll notice the two-mile marker opposite All Saints Road.
It’s then into Dogsthorpe Road, Lawn Avenue, St Paul Paul’s Road and Fulbridge Road where they’ll reach the three-mile marker.
They then make their way to Topmoor Way and into Paston going through four miles in Paston Ridings before entering Hallfields Lane and into Walton.
There they go into Holland Avenue, then Croyland Avenue and Mounsteven Avenue followed by a quick left into Arundel Road and Corfe Avenue.
They enter Amberley Slope at five miles and proceed through Werrington via Church Street before swinging round the Cock Inn corner onto Lincoln Road.
It’s a straight run then up to David’s Lane and that’s the halfway mark.
They take a right into Goodwin Walk to complete eight miles and race back onto Fulbridge Road. Opposite Brookside they move into Gunthorpe Road.
They then turn into Haveswater Close and move onto Donaldson Drive and reach nine miles at the junction with Pratt Avenue.
After joining Paston Ridings they take the underpass which leads into Bluebell Avenue and then Francis Gardens and back onto Fulbridge Road with 10 miles on the clock.
Then it’s back the way they came - Fulbridge Road, St Paul’s Road, Lawn Avenue, Dogsthorpe Road (11 miles) and Park Road.
This time there’s no run round the park. It’s a left past the park into Princes Gate and then Princess Gardens and on to Eastfield Road.
The 12-mile marker is at the Crawthorne Road roundabout and then it’s into St John’s Street, Vineyard Road and Bishop’s Road where just past the Star Road turn they take a right onto the The Embankment and within sight of the finish line.The 2012 race has a number of changes compared to previous years and much consideration was
taken to keep road closures to a minimum.
The major change is that both races will start and finish at The Embankment.
This in turn will result in the following road closures between approximately 9.50am and 10.45am:
· Rivergate
· Bourges Boulevard (southbound) from the Queensgate roundabout
· Priestgate
· Cathedral Square
· Long Causeway
· Broadway
The race will leave The Embankment turning right on to Rivergate, then left onto the southbound lane of Bourges Boulevard and turning right onto Priestgate. Competitors will then head to Bridge
Street emerging opposite the Town Hall before making their way through Cathedral Square and up onto Long Causeway and Broadway.
All businesses have been advised of the restrictions and the timetable of road closures.
Other changes for the 2012 course will see the following roads closed from 9.30am‐1.30pm because
the race will pass through these roads twice – as the runners head both in and out of the city:
· Park Road between All Saints Road and Dogsthorpe Road
· Dogsthorpe Road between Garton Avenue and Lawn Avenue
· Lawn Avenue between Dogsthorpe Road and St Paul’s Road
· St Paul’s Road between Lawn Avenue and Fulbridge Road
· Fulbridge Road between St Pauls Road and Francis Garden
In addition, the new route will result in the following road closures:
· Park Crescent between 9.30am to 11am · Broadway from its junction with Princes Gate and Park Crescent between 9.30am to 11am
· Princes Gate and Princes Gardens between 9.30am to 1.30pm
· Eastfield Road from its junction with Princes Gardens to the Boongate roundabout
between 9.30am‐1.30pm
· St John’s Street and Vineyard Road between 9.30am to 1.30pm
The course through Walton, Werrington, Gunthorpe and Paston will be the same as previous years.
All roads will re‐open as the final runner passes each of the mile markers.
This is anticipated to take approximately 15 minutes for each mile.
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