A look ahead to Sunday’s 10-mile Morrisons Great South Run

World 10,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot will look to transfer her success this year from the track to the roads as she steps up to take on the 10-mile Morrisons Great South Run on Sunday (October 25).

The Kenyan, who clocked 31:41.31 in Beijing to claim her fourth world gold medal, will contest a 10-mile road race for the first time on a course which will see runners start on Clarence Esplanade in Southsea, go through Old Portsmouth and finish back on the seafront.

Also forming part of the elite women’s field is Britain’s Jo Pavey, who broke a 28-year-old UK over-40 half-marathon best and was not far off the world masters record when she finished fourth in 69:58 at the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run earlier this month.

This time around, the European 10,000m champion could challenge the world and UK W40 10-mile best of 53:51 belonging to Priscilla Welch.

European cross-country champion Gemma Steel finished a close runner-up in last year’s event and returns, while Kenya’s Morrisons Great Manchester Run 10km winner Betsy Saina also races, as do Steel’s fellow Britons Kate Avery, Charlotte Purdue and Lauren Deadman.

In the elite men’s race, Chris Thompson will face a tough task to continue his winning ways following his victory at the Morrisons Great Birmingham Run last weekend. Having clocked 63:00 to win the half-marathon event, the Aldershot, Farnham & District runner will continue his preparation for a tilt at competing at the Olympics in Rio next year.

Lining up alongside him will be Uganda’s Commonwealth 10,000m champion Moses Kipsiro, who will also be aiming for a Great Run double after his Great Scottish Run victory.

Kenyans Japheth Korir, the 2013 Great South Run winner Emmanuel Bett and the Great North Run course record-holder Martin Mathathi also race, while Thompson will be joined by fhis ellow Britons Scott Overall and Dewi Griffiths.

Around 25,000 people are set to take part in four events across two days of Great South Run action, which also includes the Morrisons Junior & Mini Great South Run and the Morrisons Great South Run 5km.

The Morrisons Great South Run will be broadcast live on Channel 5 from 10am

The post Cheruiyot, Kipsiro, Thompson and Pavey in Great South Run action appeared first on Athletics Weekly.