The two-hour barrier for the marathon could be threatened by an elite quartet at the Morrisons Great Newham London Run Marathon Relay in July

Some of Britain’s leading distance runners, including European Team Championships representatives Andy Butchart and Lily Partridge, are to lead the home challenge at the Morrisons Great Newham London Run 4 x Marathon Team Relay at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on July 19.

The Great Run Company is also planning to assemble international men’s and women’s teams to compete in the 4 x 10.54km event, with the aim of threatening the two-hour barrier for the marathon.

In the men’s race, Butchart, this year’s Scottish cross-country champion, will team up with Scottish Commonwealth 5000m and 10,000m finalist Luke Caldwell, English cross-country champion Charlie Hulson and Jonny Hay, who captained the British squad at this year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang.

The women’s quartet sees English national cross-country champion Partridge joined by European under-23 cross-country champion Rhona Auckland, Commonwealth 5000m and 10,000m finalist Beth Potter and Jess Coulson, who finished fourth in the recent European Cup 10,000m race.

As well as featuring elite race action, the 4 x Marathon Team Relay is open to runners of all abilities. Each runner completes two laps of the course, a total of 10.54km, with the prizes on offer in both the men’s and women’s sections being 2,000 for the winning team, 1,000 for the runners-up and 500 for the third-placed team.

Prize money is to be divided equally among the four runners with an additional 500 bonus to go to the winning club or to a charity chosen by the winning team if the runners are not all members of the same club.

See greatrun.org for further information and to sign up

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