20/05/2012

:00:16. > :00:26.The Etihad Stadium, home to Premier League champions Manchester City,

:00:26. > :00:28.

:00:28. > :00:36.and who could forget that five minutes of injury-time a week ago?

:00:36. > :00:46.This year, this is run Number 10 of what has become the UK's favourite

:00:46. > :00:57.

:00:57. > :01:07.Seeing hundreds of people making their way to the city centre, it is

:01:07. > :01:12.

:01:12. > :01:22.magic. Over 10,000, a fantastic Townhead. It is great following on

:01:22. > :01:39.

:01:39. > :01:47.To all the people taking part in the great Manchester run, good luck.

:01:47. > :01:54.It is wicked, you know what I mean? They were pushing me all the way.

:01:55. > :02:03.It is fantastic, I think half the city has turned out. From the

:02:03. > :02:13.beginning it has grown and grown. Look at the atmosphere, look at the

:02:13. > :02:23.

:02:23. > :02:27.As Alex Ferguson said, it has become a fantastic event, the

:02:27. > :02:32.streets of Manchester full of runners. Good morning and welcome

:02:32. > :02:37.to Manchester city centre and the great Manchester run. I hope you

:02:37. > :02:43.sit back and enjoy the next couple of hours with us. The best runners

:02:43. > :02:47.in the world will show us how it is done. He is always a favourite on

:02:47. > :02:57.the streets of Manchester, but he has got his hands full with Patrick

:02:57. > :02:57.

:02:58. > :03:05.Makau, the man who took his world record in the marathon. Keep your

:03:05. > :03:13.eyes on these ladies. The great Manchester run celebrates the 10th

:03:13. > :03:16.time it has been staged. Celebrations on the streets of

:03:16. > :03:22.Manchester today, but also a few days ago because the city was

:03:22. > :03:29.painted blue. After Manchester City's dramatic title when it last

:03:29. > :03:34.Sunday, there were some super scenes indeed. Representing the red

:03:34. > :03:44.and the blue of the City, we have got Joe Corrigan. Describe how you

:03:44. > :03:46.

:03:46. > :03:49.felt last Sunday? Just unbelievable. We waited so long for Manchester

:03:50. > :03:56.United -- Manchester City and I am just ecstatic for the fans. I am

:03:56. > :04:00.really pleased. It has come to a new beginning for the Manchester

:04:00. > :04:06.City supporters. How did you feel when it went into injury time and

:04:07. > :04:10.you're two-to-one down? Here we go again, it was one of those strange

:04:10. > :04:16.situations that only Manchester City can do. We have been there

:04:16. > :04:20.before and we always seem to have ball at the final hurdle, but this

:04:20. > :04:25.time things it shone on us and we want it. Disappointment for you,

:04:25. > :04:30.but great to see the rivalry between the two clubs. I am

:04:30. > :04:36.particularly pleased for the fans. The number of Manchester City fans

:04:36. > :04:43.who came to say hello, not to gloat, but to say they waited such a long

:04:43. > :04:49.time. We have been the powerhouse in this particular area. But it was

:04:49. > :04:59.an unbelievable night. My wife said it was cruel that we had to go

:04:59. > :05:09.through that, but who knows what it was? Maybe one refereeing decision,

:05:09. > :05:09.

:05:09. > :05:13.whatever, but they have deserved it over these last few weeks. We may

:05:13. > :05:19.be stutters a little bit and they took the advantage, but we will be

:05:19. > :05:24.ready to have another go at them next year. I am sure you will. You

:05:24. > :05:28.started the great Manchester run 10 years ago. Down at Deansgate they

:05:28. > :05:35.asked me and there were 10,000 people and we thought that was

:05:35. > :05:42.enormous. Look back there now. 40,000 people, it is magic. But it

:05:42. > :05:46.is a great city, it is never afraid to dip its toe in the water. When

:05:46. > :05:50.they do something, they do it correctly and I am very pleased

:05:50. > :06:00.this is a big success. A you are doing the starting duties today

:06:00. > :06:16.

:06:17. > :06:25.along with Joe, so I will let you We have also got a very competitive

:06:25. > :06:31.wheelchair race. No David Weir or Shelly Woods. 2012 is taking

:06:31. > :06:40.precedence for them. A great scene for the crowds as they lead the

:06:40. > :06:45.able bodied athletes away. It should be very competitive. You can

:06:45. > :06:50.see all the athletes, ready to get away. We have got some great

:06:50. > :06:59.celebrities running as well. There is one celebrity and she could

:06:59. > :07:02.almost be in the AA each race. We are on the top of the celebrity

:07:02. > :07:07.buzz, the double-decker in the celebrity compound and you have got

:07:07. > :07:11.a running partner today. My mother is running today as well, so she

:07:11. > :07:17.will be going for a personal best this morning. The weather is great,

:07:17. > :07:20.so hopefully it will go brilliant. Jonathan said you could almost be

:07:20. > :07:26.running the elite race after that fantastic performance in the

:07:26. > :07:31.marathon. I was very sensible and I did not run for a week after that.

:07:31. > :07:36.I have slowly started picking it up again. I always feel fortunate to

:07:36. > :07:40.be able to take part in events like the great Manchester ran and the

:07:40. > :07:44.London Marathon because it is everybody of different levels

:07:44. > :07:49.coming together. Lots of people who would not normally do much exercise,

:07:49. > :07:55.it gives them that goal. It does not matter if you have exercised

:07:55. > :08:01.before, I get into running, you can get faster, it is never too late.

:08:01. > :08:06.final word from your mum. How proud are you of your daughter? Really

:08:06. > :08:11.proud, excellent, especially with her not being a professional runner.

:08:11. > :08:17.That highlights how much work and effort went into it. You cannot run

:08:17. > :08:21.a marathon without putting all the work and effort into it. Yes, but

:08:21. > :08:28.if you are not doing it as a profession, it was amazing.

:08:28. > :08:32.really is amazing, keep it going and enjoy today. We are running for

:08:32. > :08:41.cancer UK, so hopefully there will be a few more people supporting the

:08:41. > :08:46.charity. Hopefully it will not rain. Hopefully it will not train indeed.

:08:46. > :08:51.It is perfect conditions for running. The elite women runners

:08:51. > :08:58.are getting ready behind me. Mara Yamauchi is up against a couple of

:08:58. > :09:03.young pretenders for Britain. will be my first race since

:09:03. > :09:08.November, so I want to test out where I am as I prepare for the

:09:08. > :09:14.Olympic marathon. I think I'm in top form at the minute, I am

:09:14. > :09:18.improving all the time. The sky is the limit. This weekend I would

:09:18. > :09:23.like to be the first Brit and I would love to run APB on the roads.

:09:23. > :09:30.Anything is possible. I think it is great there are some younger

:09:30. > :09:36.athletes coming through on the 10 kilometres and the marathon and

:09:36. > :09:42.hopefully they will move up. We are all knocking on 40 and I think most

:09:42. > :09:47.of us will be retiring reasonably soon. It would be a shame if once

:09:47. > :09:51.we had retired, there was nothing. We have got experience, but having

:09:51. > :09:59.the younger athletes snapping at your heels keeps you on your toes.

:09:59. > :10:02.I can definitely learnt a lot from them. At St Mary's she is often

:10:02. > :10:08.training in the altitude chamber and I can see how hard she is

:10:09. > :10:14.training. So I do not think I have ever raised her before her. I have

:10:14. > :10:19.raced against Paula in London and I got her autograph. She is the one I

:10:19. > :10:24.have always looked up to and I was training with her as well, so that

:10:24. > :10:30.was nice and it gave me a buzz to be running with a legend and be

:10:30. > :10:37.alongside her. I guess it is inevitable that younger athletes

:10:37. > :10:44.will look to people like myself or Pola as somebody they can learn

:10:44. > :10:49.from, but equally I can learn from the younger athletes and I think I

:10:49. > :10:53.will have a very good run on Sunday against some stiff opposition.

:10:53. > :10:57.not like to see myself star-struck they anyone because they are

:10:57. > :11:04.another runner at the end of the day and I want to beat them. I will

:11:04. > :11:11.not say, oh, it is married Yamaichi, or at it is Paula, yes, I

:11:11. > :11:17.definitely want to win. It is set to be a super race. The battle of

:11:17. > :11:21.the Brits and they are pretty much all set to go. Time to hand over to

:11:22. > :11:27.the expert voices of Paul Dickenson and Stephen gram.

:11:27. > :11:37.Good morning, everybody. Conditions are pretty good here in Manchester

:11:37. > :11:56.

:11:56. > :12:02.Linet Masai will start as the Let's go through a few

:12:02. > :12:07.introductions on the start line. We heard Mara Yamauchi chatting about

:12:07. > :12:11.the new contingent. Gemma still has had a very good 12 months. The

:12:11. > :12:17.bronze medal at the European Championships, her first medal, and

:12:17. > :12:21.she was to establish herself on the road and the track. This is the

:12:21. > :12:26.Commonwealth marathon champion, it is good to see her here. The

:12:26. > :12:33.Kenyans have so much talent. Charlotte will be looking for a

:12:33. > :12:40.good run here and hoping she can move on to chasing the 10 kilometre

:12:40. > :12:47.qualifying time on the track as well. Mara Yamauchi, and London

:12:47. > :12:53.2012 will be all about the marathon, having been selected. This is a bit

:12:53. > :13:00.of a sharpener for her here. This is the world champion from 2009,

:13:00. > :13:07.Linet Masai from Kenya. A brilliant talent. Still just 22 years of age

:13:07. > :13:16.despite the great successes she has already had. The eight women will

:13:16. > :13:19.start before everyone else. That is so we can concentrate on their

:13:19. > :13:25.particular race. A few others in the field will be looking for a

:13:25. > :13:30.good performance. Conditions are pretty good this morning. It is 10

:13:30. > :13:38.or 11 degrees. We had a bit of wet weather yesterday, but that has

:13:38. > :13:48.disappeared. It is 11 degrees! They are pretty protected in the city by

:13:48. > :13:50.

:13:50. > :14:00.the wind. They will not have to contend with it too much today.

:14:00. > :14:14.

:14:14. > :14:19.Let's have a look at exactly where main road towards Salford. It is

:14:19. > :14:26.the new part of town where BBC sport are now based. Then they head

:14:26. > :14:31.back into the city and finish on Deansgate. We will welcome all

:14:31. > :14:37.40,000 or so runners and in the afternoon we will have the great

:14:37. > :14:44.city games as well. A whole gamut of athletic talent for you today in

:14:44. > :14:50.Manchester. Just a little note as well, Mara Yamauchi in the film

:14:50. > :14:56.beforehand was talking about Jo Pavey. Last night she ran an

:14:56. > :15:04.Olympic a standard for five kilometres on the track. It was a

:15:04. > :15:08.great performance for her. She has got her eyes on the 10 kilometres

:15:08. > :15:17.spot and she now has the bonus of getting that standard on the five

:15:17. > :15:27.kilometres. They will be having half an eye on the performance of

:15:27. > :15:28.

:15:28. > :15:32.the two youngsters today. Good little bit chilly and overcast, but

:15:32. > :15:38.that is good for some of the novice runners who will be starting their

:15:38. > :15:43.quest in a little while. As the elite women get us away,

:15:43. > :15:48.interesting to see two of the featured athletes you mentioned

:15:48. > :15:54.before, Jerotich and Masai, the two experienced marathon runners from

:15:54. > :16:03.Kenya, tucking in behind the leading group. Yamauchi leading.

:16:03. > :16:09.The contrast of experience, a contrast of styles. Incerti wearing

:16:10. > :16:18.the white vest, a European bronze medallist. Gemma Steel tucked in

:16:18. > :16:24.behind. Yamauchi really is setting out at a bit of a pace. The long,

:16:24. > :16:28.languid style of Masai and Jerotich behind, as we have a look back to

:16:28. > :16:33.the masses. It is always a brilliant atmosphere with the mass

:16:33. > :16:37.warm ups before the race. A lot of first-timers, a lot of inexperience

:16:37. > :16:45.to run this year, but they will be treading in the same footsteps as

:16:45. > :16:50.all of the great champions. That is why this weekend is so good. One or

:16:50. > :17:00.two others to point out in that lead group. Right at the back, with

:17:00. > :17:06.blond hair, Willis from Australia. She has qualified for the Olympic

:17:06. > :17:10.marathon as well. Ejjafini, the athlete are just behind Yamauchi,

:17:10. > :17:15.pulled out of the London Marathon. You might remember her running well

:17:16. > :17:20.in the early stages, but she did not finish. She is looking to put

:17:20. > :17:24.in a better performance today. It is interesting that Yamauchi set

:17:24. > :17:29.out so quickly. She said she was raring to go, really looking

:17:29. > :17:33.forward to racing. She probably would not have been that interested

:17:33. > :17:38.in hanging around with plenty of quicker women behind her. She is

:17:38. > :17:46.more interested in how fast she can run rather than her position, with

:17:46. > :17:49.everything gearing towards London. And of course, I'm pretty sure the

:17:50. > :17:59.others behind will be short -- pleased she has not decided to hang

:18:00. > :18:10.

:18:10. > :18:14.around. The good pace being set in stretching the field out. When you

:18:14. > :18:20.consider some of the British winners we've had in the past, Jo

:18:20. > :18:24.Pavey twice, and Helen Clitheroe in 2011, you heard her say that it is

:18:24. > :18:28.a daunting prospect to go up against the likes of Charlotte

:18:28. > :18:32.Purdue and Gemma Steel. Great Britain really has, not an

:18:33. > :18:37.embarrassment of riches, but a crop of good young athletes who aim to

:18:37. > :18:41.replace the likes of Helen Clitheroe and Jo Pavey, and of

:18:41. > :18:47.course Paula Radcliffe, in the top of women's distance running. But at

:18:47. > :18:52.the moment, it is the old timer, Mara Yamauchi, stretching the field.

:18:52. > :18:58.Still looking very comfortable at the front. It is obviously early

:18:58. > :19:06.stages. We're trying to get to split. Let's go back to the

:19:06. > :19:11.wheelchair race. We saw the wheelchair racers set of earlier

:19:11. > :19:16.and Simon Lawson has done very well indeed. His previous best in the

:19:16. > :19:21.Manchester 10 K was a fourth place two years ago. Since then he won in

:19:21. > :19:28.Sunderland and he has been there since the start. Stuart Bloor gets

:19:28. > :19:32.second place. These two men, as soon as the gun went, they went off

:19:32. > :19:37.in the lead and Simon and young Stuart Bloor, in the absence of the

:19:37. > :19:41.great man himself, David Weir, have taken major honours in Manchester.

:19:41. > :19:47.A little bit uphill towards the finish, the last couple of hundred

:19:47. > :19:55.metres you have to work really hard. That is one of Simon Lawson's best-

:19:55. > :19:59.ever races in a long career. Well done to Stuart Bloor, 10th in the

:19:59. > :20:03.Great North Run last year, fourth place in this race last year, and

:20:03. > :20:13.this time it is his best ever result of second place and the

:20:13. > :20:23.

:20:24. > :20:30.10 km in the early stages. Just a thought, picking up from what you

:20:30. > :20:34.were saying about the new runners coming through... I mentioned Jo

:20:34. > :20:43.Pavey, three women have run the five k a standard as welcome at

:20:43. > :20:47.Steph Twell, Jane Park and Jo Pavey. Stef Twell may be up for the 10 K.

:20:47. > :20:52.It is really interesting that quite a lot of athletes are running well

:20:52. > :20:58.and are almost hedging their bets a bit as well. If you get any

:20:58. > :21:02.standard, at least if you have that, even if you are not 100%, people

:21:02. > :21:06.wanting to get qualification out of the way and give themselves some

:21:06. > :21:11.options, which is good to see. A lot of British athletes running

:21:11. > :21:19.very, very well even though we are still not yet through May. It

:21:19. > :21:26.doesn't feel as if that summer has even begun, weather wise! But

:21:26. > :21:29.athletes all over the world have been going well. This event in

:21:30. > :21:33.Manchester today is part of the preparation for the summer. Just

:21:33. > :21:41.off the back of that group now and beginning to struggle a little bit,

:21:41. > :21:46.it looks like any to Willis of Australia. Seven athletes are

:21:47. > :21:52.really forging ahead. Very long- striding Jerotich in the orange

:21:52. > :22:01.vest, just behind Linet Masai, who looks so easy. Two Italians are

:22:01. > :22:07.there as well, wearing white vests, Incerti and Ejjafini. Ejjafini is

:22:07. > :22:11.formally Moroccan. And from Bahrain as well. That is Willis, she is for

:22:11. > :22:16.five metres off the last market in the first group. Looking as though

:22:17. > :22:26.she is struggling a little bit. The gap has grown to about 10 minutes

:22:26. > :22:29.in the course of the last 250. -- 10 metres. Yamauchi is beginning...

:22:30. > :22:33.Well, she is looking very strong and she said at the beginning of

:22:33. > :22:41.the race that she wanted a test of speed and that is exactly what she

:22:41. > :22:46.has forged out for herself. I was going to say, if that is the three

:22:46. > :22:56.kilometres... If that yellow matting is the three kilometres,

:22:56. > :22:58.

:22:58. > :23:04.that was nine: 30. That is pretty quick. It is not course record.

:23:04. > :23:10.9.29. It is a good pace set by Myra Yamaichi, faster than the likes of

:23:10. > :23:16.Gemma Steel and Gemma Steel -- Charlotte Purdue have overrun on

:23:16. > :23:26.the road before. -- ever run. I would not think it would trouble

:23:26. > :23:28.

:23:28. > :23:32.Masai too much. Changeiywo is still with that group as well. I don't

:23:32. > :23:40.think Willis will be too bothered, her eyes on the marathon in the

:23:40. > :23:45.summer. I keep saying in the summer! When it comes! Ejjafini

:23:45. > :23:50.just helping with some pace duties. I have to say how well Gemma Steel

:23:50. > :23:54.and Charlotte Purdue have conducted themselves. Charlotte has had her

:23:54. > :23:57.fair share of injuries for a 20- year-old athlete. She has managed

:23:57. > :24:07.to come through a couple of operations as well, she keeps

:24:07. > :24:08.

:24:08. > :24:13.coming back stronger. Gemma Steel, a local girl from up the road.

:24:13. > :24:17.Gemma has had a cracking 2012 so far, really pushed herself into the

:24:17. > :24:27.upper echelons of distance running, particularly on the roads and

:24:27. > :24:27.

:24:27. > :24:31.country. It is not exactly cricket whether! I keep having to rub my

:24:31. > :24:34.eyes when I see a Test match going on in London. It doesn't feel warm

:24:34. > :24:42.enough. Old Trafford cricket and Old Trafford football, not too far

:24:42. > :24:46.away from each other. I'm going to hesitate to talk about football

:24:46. > :24:50.today. Thankfully Brendan is not sitting alongside neat and gloating

:24:50. > :24:55.about the season his team have had this year. Gloating honours belong

:24:55. > :25:03.to the blue side of Manchester. All blue at the minute as well, Chelsea

:25:03. > :25:09.last night. Certainly is. Charlotte Purdue on the right hand side, just

:25:09. > :25:13.running behind Ejjafini of Italy. Alongside Incerti. She has already

:25:13. > :25:16.run in the Olympic Stadium, a very successful British Universities

:25:16. > :25:22.championships was tell there about a fortnight ago and she won the

:25:22. > :25:28.5,000 metres. One of the first athletes to run on the Olympic

:25:28. > :25:33.track. That was a great experience for all of those students. For the

:25:33. > :25:38.first time in the race, Mara Yamauchi just giving way to first

:25:38. > :25:43.place for the time being. The Italians are looking very fit at

:25:43. > :25:47.the moment and stretching everybody away. They are heading towards,

:25:48. > :25:52.dare I say it, for some people who wear red in Manchester, the theatre

:25:52. > :25:57.of broken dreams as a result of what happened last week. Such an

:25:57. > :26:01.exciting climax to the Premiership, but still the focus for many people

:26:01. > :26:09.on Premiership football, not just in this country, but throughout the

:26:09. > :26:13.world, but Man City got the best of them, just. It has been a great

:26:14. > :26:18.year already for sport. A lot of drama in the football season and

:26:18. > :26:21.I'm pretty sure a lot more to come in the summer in one or two -- and

:26:21. > :26:25.one or two of the athletes here will be hoping to be part of that

:26:25. > :26:30.in a big way. Ejjafini is starting to push things on a bed. The pace

:26:30. > :26:36.has been very strong so far. Gemma Steel is suffering and has gone off

:26:36. > :26:42.the back of that group. Yamauchi doing her best to stay with it. The

:26:42. > :26:47.real injection of space -- a real injection of pace. Good to see

:26:47. > :26:50.Charlotte Purdue, the one who looks most comfortable. Masai with that

:26:51. > :26:56.lovely languid style of hers. Jerotich is the tall figure with

:26:56. > :27:02.the red vest. Changeiywo alongside her. Yamauchi having to fight to

:27:02. > :27:07.try to stick with the pace Ejjafini is now setting. So disappointed

:27:07. > :27:10.with her performance, Ejjafini, in London. That is Gemma Steel. I said

:27:10. > :27:14.they were operating in personal best territory for her. They have

:27:14. > :27:19.picked things up a bit and a lot half-a-mile and that is why she has

:27:19. > :27:23.started to struggle. She has to work hard now and concentrate. She

:27:23. > :27:28.will have to really knuckle down here and try to concentrate. Not

:27:28. > :27:32.easy when you're on your own. She will be disappointed to seek

:27:32. > :27:35.Charlotte Purdue in that group. She is just checking her watch,

:27:35. > :27:39.thinking that Charlotte is running quicker than she might have

:27:39. > :27:49.expected. Good for Charlotte, but will she paid for that later? But

:27:49. > :27:53.

:27:53. > :27:57.she looks nice and relaxed at the back to Linet Masai in a moment,

:27:57. > :28:02.but there's Gemma Steel. She stayed with the group for three kilometres,

:28:03. > :28:07.but they really are pushing on now. Gemma Steel is in no man's land at

:28:07. > :28:13.the moment. We are down to six. The athlete I was just talking about,

:28:13. > :28:18.Linet Masai, on the far side of that group, look at her stride. She

:28:18. > :28:24.is so I eat -- easy. A relaxed running style. Looking absolutely

:28:24. > :28:30.superb. She looks easy, doesn't she? And she can sprint as well.

:28:30. > :28:35.Remember Berlin in 2009, the World Championships. She is very

:28:35. > :28:39.deceptive, look how she has just drifted to the front. She hasn't

:28:39. > :28:48.made much effort to do so, and she can do that, she can change pace

:28:48. > :28:53.without you really realising. Just not sure whether Linet Masai will

:28:53. > :28:58.be as big a threat in the summer, I hope she is, because she is a great

:28:58. > :29:07.athlete. Things moving at pace already this year in terms of

:29:07. > :29:17.people putting in fast times. All of a sudden,... They have just gone

:29:17. > :29:21.

:29:21. > :29:25.through the five kilometres. 15.47. The course record was set six years

:29:25. > :29:31.ago, 31.07. They are well off that in terms of the first half of the

:29:31. > :29:37.race. Masai has completely decimated the field in the space of

:29:37. > :29:43.about 400 metres. Nobody able to go with that change of pace. Those

:29:43. > :29:46.long legs stretching out. Others left trailing behind her. They will

:29:46. > :29:51.have a tough last five kilometres to try to work through the rest of

:29:51. > :29:58.it. One or two operating at good pace, but they have got some work

:29:58. > :30:03.to do now. Well, the masses are waiting, and waiting for the masses.

:30:03. > :30:07.Jonathan is back at the start. Haile Gebrselassie just walk past

:30:07. > :30:11.me, getting ready for that start of the men's race. Perhaps the last

:30:11. > :30:20.time we will see him on British soil, getting close to the end of

:30:20. > :30:24.his career. He spoke to Phil Jones the last three years, you have won

:30:24. > :30:32.four in all, what are the chances of making it five this time?

:30:32. > :30:42.not? I came here to do something. Every race is not easy. I will try

:30:42. > :30:46.

:30:46. > :30:50.my best on Sunday. It is not going about your Olympic dream up for

:30:50. > :30:59.London 2012 and obviously since then it has changed. It did not

:30:59. > :31:05.work out. Has the reality sunk in for you now? Yes, I am sorry. It

:31:05. > :31:15.was my wish to take part in these Olympics. I have been in the last

:31:15. > :31:16.

:31:16. > :31:22.four Olympics, but this is my last chance. But it is not easy just to

:31:22. > :31:28.come here, an athlete like me and only watch. What can I do? I put in

:31:28. > :31:33.all my effort and finally it did not work. You did your best and you

:31:33. > :31:39.inspired so many athletes over the years and now you have an abundance

:31:39. > :31:49.of world-class talent that has been inspired by you. In sport you have

:31:49. > :31:58.

:31:59. > :32:02.to accept their youngsters. It is a different engine, it is faster and

:32:02. > :32:12.stronger and there is new technology. Human beings are the

:32:12. > :32:15.

:32:15. > :32:19.same. But at least I am trying to upgrade myself. He is a great

:32:19. > :32:25.character and he is always a very welcome face in Great Britain. He

:32:25. > :32:32.is a big star of athletics around the world. It is great to see him

:32:32. > :32:37.in Manchester again. We do not know if it will be the last time. Some

:32:37. > :32:47.good names in there. Tsegaye Kebede, former winner of the London

:32:47. > :33:00.

:33:00. > :33:07.great athletes to look forward to and they are always producing new

:33:07. > :33:12.names. This athlete has been selected after that great run in

:33:12. > :33:16.Dubai in January. The Ethiopians go with who ran the fastest and that

:33:16. > :33:22.is why he is in the team and that is why this man is not in the team.

:33:22. > :33:27.A lot of people think that could be a mistake. He did not run well

:33:27. > :33:34.enough in this year's race to push himself in terms of the Ethiopian

:33:34. > :33:37.selection. And neither will this man. Can you believe that? He is

:33:37. > :33:42.the world record-holder, but the performance in London did not give

:33:42. > :33:49.him the opportunity to get selected. I think we are all disappointed we

:33:49. > :33:55.will not be seeing him in the Olympic Games. At the age of 39 he

:33:55. > :34:05.has got plenty to look back on. Just listen to the reception for

:34:05. > :34:20.

:34:20. > :34:25.they go. The great Manchester run is under way and the elite athletes

:34:25. > :34:29.are at the front of the Pill. Behind them there are the massed

:34:29. > :34:39.ranks of 40,000 others. Right throughout the morning they will

:34:39. > :34:39.

:34:39. > :34:44.get their chance to join the greats on the streets of this city. 10

:34:44. > :34:49.kilometres, it is not the challenge of the marathon or the half

:34:49. > :34:53.marathon event, but it is a great coming-together of so many people,

:34:53. > :35:03.running for so many different causes as well. Millions of pounds

:35:03. > :35:05.

:35:05. > :35:14.being raised for charity and a lot of fun to be had on the way. As

:35:14. > :35:18.they set off and wind their way through the streets, and then that

:35:18. > :35:22.they will take a left and start heading out towards Salford.

:35:22. > :35:28.Already under way back from there is our leader in the women's race.

:35:28. > :35:35.She broke away just before the five kilometre point. It is Linet Masai.

:35:35. > :35:40.It was a real push for about half a mile, a kilometre or or-so. She

:35:40. > :35:46.looks so relax. She looks as if she is out for a Sunday morning stroll.

:35:46. > :35:53.She has a lead of about 20 metres or so and that is staying the same.

:35:53. > :36:00.It certainly has not been decreasing. She is heading for

:36:00. > :36:04.around 31.20. She looks so relax. She does and when she made that

:36:04. > :36:09.break at about 3.5 kilometres, there was no real perceptible

:36:09. > :36:16.increase in the pace. It was a sustained attack and she hit them

:36:16. > :36:23.hard for about 800 metres or so and that is what created the gap. Stun

:36:23. > :36:28.Nadia Ejjafini from Italy behind and one of the other Kenyans, Doris

:36:28. > :36:34.Changeiywo. She is in third place at the moment. There is a gap

:36:34. > :36:38.developing between the first three and the rest. We will bring you up

:36:38. > :36:45.to date with the first Briton in a moment, but Linet Masai looks

:36:45. > :36:50.magnificent in first place. She is quite happy to move through in a

:36:50. > :36:54.very steady pace. As Steve said early on, if you think she cannot

:36:54. > :37:00.sprint, you have to remember when she won the World Championships

:37:00. > :37:08.over 10,000 metres, she can sprint. She is so long legged and she can

:37:08. > :37:15.change her pace. But she makes this looks so, so easy. The 6th Carmita

:37:15. > :37:22.was really fast at three minutes and four seconds. There is a little

:37:22. > :37:27.downhill section as they head back to the city centre. I am just

:37:27. > :37:34.watching the clock and currently in 4th place in Charlotte perjure.

:37:34. > :37:44.There she is. Still running really strong. This will be a great

:37:44. > :37:45.

:37:45. > :37:49.confidence booster. If she runs inside 32 minutes, and that top

:37:49. > :37:54.standard is 31.45, and most people end up quicker on the track than

:37:54. > :38:04.they do on the roads, so this will be a confidence booster for her. If

:38:04. > :38:05.

:38:05. > :38:09.she can get in around 32 minutes that would be good. She is

:38:09. > :38:13.certainly well ahead of Gemma Steel at the moment. Charlotte perdu

:38:13. > :38:20.looking strong in 4th and maybe have a chance of running down the

:38:20. > :38:25.two athletes ahead of her. But that gap is getting bigger all the time

:38:25. > :38:29.and Linet Masai is just pulling away with that stride. She looks

:38:29. > :38:34.absolutely fabulous. She concentrates so well and she

:38:34. > :38:39.obviously had a race plan coming into this 10 kilometre race. She

:38:39. > :38:49.stuck to it rigidly. There is no way anybody is going to get close

:38:49. > :38:54.

:38:54. > :38:57.to her in any way. Those are the split times. There is Charlotte. I

:38:57. > :39:07.wonder if she is gaining on third place. She was in quite close

:39:07. > :39:09.

:39:09. > :39:16.contention. It really is a good run by the Briton. Mara Yamauchi is

:39:16. > :39:22.back in 6th place. It charlotte can maintain that pace, she would have

:39:22. > :39:32.to run the last two Lama tears as about 3.15, which is the pace she

:39:32. > :39:34.

:39:34. > :39:43.has been running, and she would be inside 32 minutes. There is a bit

:39:43. > :39:48.of a rise as you head back to Old Trafford. There is a bit of a rise

:39:48. > :39:52.up towards the finish in two Deansgate. The big crowds are there

:39:53. > :39:58.and you know you are near the finish and most athletes can find a

:39:58. > :40:03.little bit extra. Mara Yamauchi set off with real intent and gave them

:40:03. > :40:08.a good start to this race. I would not expect her to contend with

:40:08. > :40:14.Linet Masai, but she will be a bit disappointed that Charlotte is

:40:14. > :40:20.ahead of her. Those gaps are quite significant. Charlotte is about 70

:40:20. > :40:25.metres ahead. But Mara Yamauchi will keep running strong. Today is

:40:25. > :40:29.a little bit of a Test, a little bit of a blow-out after all those

:40:29. > :40:33.months of hard training as she prepares for the marathon in the

:40:33. > :40:39.summer. She will not be disappointed if the weather is like

:40:39. > :40:46.this when the marathon is being held. I do not suppose any of them

:40:46. > :40:52.would be. We are heading towards the last 400 metres now. When you

:40:52. > :40:56.consider the role of honour, there is a very famous face. When you

:40:56. > :41:05.consider the role of honour of the women who have won here in

:41:05. > :41:12.Manchester, Sonia O'Sullivan, Kiplagat, Joe Perry beat twice. And

:41:12. > :41:18.Helen Clitheroe, all world-class athletes. This race attracts the

:41:18. > :41:22.best and there is one of the very best. The man next to him, Tsegaye

:41:22. > :41:29.Kebede, it is hard to believe he is not going to the Olympics, it is

:41:29. > :41:39.staggering. The London course at the Olympics is quite twisting and

:41:39. > :41:40.

:41:40. > :41:49.turning. It is for -- four big laps and one small lap. He has run

:41:49. > :41:56.London before and the thinking is it suits his style. A few other

:41:56. > :42:05.athletes ran well in Dubai and have not translated it into other

:42:05. > :42:15.performances. These three have set off pretty quickly as you would

:42:15. > :42:21.

:42:21. > :42:27.expect. At the beginning of the year they would all have been

:42:27. > :42:37.hoping they had a chance at competing at the Games. This is a

:42:37. > :43:07.

:43:08. > :43:16.good, strong start. That is pretty all over the world. All the smiling

:43:16. > :43:21.stops when the gun goes and that is when he gets down to business.

:43:21. > :43:26.Everybody heading in the other direction. The eight women are

:43:26. > :43:34.chasing Linet Masai. I do not know if chasing is the right word, they

:43:34. > :43:44.are following. She has been serene in her progress as ever. Such a

:43:44. > :43:45.

:43:45. > :43:51.comfortable action. She looks as easy on the roads as she does in

:43:51. > :44:01.cross country. A former world junior champion in cross country. I

:44:01. > :44:04.

:44:04. > :44:08.am pleased to see her running so well. There was a question about

:44:08. > :44:13.whether she was going to be able to contend, but on the basis of the

:44:13. > :44:18.day, she looks really good. You might not say it is the world's

:44:18. > :44:25.greatest field, but she has done a great job here. The course record

:44:26. > :44:33.will not be hers today, but it is going to be a pretty quick time. It

:44:33. > :44:38.is so good to see her in such good form. A fine style as ever. Just

:44:38. > :44:45.pushing on in the last couple of hundred metres. It has been a

:44:45. > :44:51.relaxed, comfortable win for her. She hopes she can look forward to a

:44:51. > :45:01.great track season. But for now the great Manchester ran is her first,

:45:01. > :45:03.

:45:03. > :45:09.a big victory of the year. That was pretty easy. She hardly looks as

:45:09. > :45:16.though she has been out for a run. That is consolation for Nadia

:45:16. > :45:26.Ejjafini for what happened in London. Just watching for third

:45:26. > :45:29.

:45:29. > :45:34.the last couple of kilometres, but nonetheless, Charlotte Purdue will

:45:34. > :45:38.come across the line in fourth place. There she is. She looked

:45:38. > :45:44.around at the clock, I reckon about 32 point 10, which will be very

:45:44. > :45:48.close to her best. Mara Yamauchi, a good solid run from her. I don't

:45:48. > :45:54.think she will be too disappointed with that. She went out pretty

:45:54. > :46:00.solidly early on. She kept a good pace going. As I said, she will be

:46:00. > :46:10.looking for the marathon, a major target for the summer. There's the

:46:10. > :46:14.

:46:14. > :46:20.attention... It will be interesting to see some of the selection

:46:21. > :46:25.procedures around the Olympics. The Kenyan men are sending all of their

:46:25. > :46:32.10,000 metre runners 2UG for the trials. Some big races to come for

:46:32. > :46:37.a lot of those races -- athletes. The familiar figure at the net --

:46:37. > :46:43.front of the men's race. The masses are also on their way, but some way

:46:43. > :46:48.back from Haile Gebrselassie, who has really push back. -- pushed on.

:46:48. > :46:54.A remarkable man, a remarkable career as well. You have to remind

:46:54. > :46:58.yourself that he's 39 years old now and he has won everything. World

:46:58. > :47:04.Championships indoors and outdoors, and of course those two brilliant

:47:04. > :47:08.Olympic gold medals. At the top of the programme, we saw the climax of

:47:08. > :47:14.one of the best races I've ever seen, the 10,000 metres in Sydney

:47:14. > :47:19.where he had the last minute burn up. That was with Paul Turner Gatt,

:47:19. > :47:25.the great Kenyan. Gebrselassie came out on top to win the gold medal.

:47:25. > :47:32.He is working quite hard now. We have been talking about his

:47:32. > :47:36.prospects of going to the Olympics in London. They are heading off

:47:36. > :47:41.towards this major redevelopment of Salford Quays, which is remarkable,

:47:41. > :47:49.including the Lowry Museum. He is racing over 10 kilometres on the

:47:49. > :47:53.track in a couple of weeks' time. The BBC was in the background there.

:47:53. > :47:57.It will be interesting to see how much Haile Gebrselassie wants to go

:47:57. > :48:02.to the Olympics. He will have to work hard for it and there's not

:48:03. > :48:10.long to go before the qualifying period ends. Look at this, 13.31

:48:10. > :48:18.through five kilometres, that his super-fast. The course record is

:48:18. > :48:22.held by Mika Kobo, 27.21. That is why he has the lead. That is why

:48:22. > :48:28.even those great athlete behind him, including the world record holder

:48:28. > :48:32.for the marathon, the man who will represent a Ethiopia in the

:48:32. > :48:39.marathon in London, Kebede, is struggling to stay with the great

:48:39. > :48:44.men. What a shame, if he's in this sort of form,... He wanted to make

:48:44. > :48:49.the marathon team, but was not able to do that. We have all been

:48:49. > :48:57.watching the progress and crossing our fingers for Mo Farah. He ran

:48:57. > :49:02.brilliantly this week in America, he ran of 3.34 1,500 metres. He

:49:02. > :49:07.also won the 5,000 metres. The sort of thing Gebrselassie can do, that

:49:08. > :49:13.great range. From 1,500 metres to the marathon. What a great career

:49:13. > :49:23.he has had, set the standard if you like for world distance running for

:49:23. > :49:38.

:49:38. > :49:44.the last 20 years, almost. all sorts of development. Be coming

:49:44. > :49:47.home to all of us, becoming very familiar. -- becoming. Familiar to

:49:47. > :49:51.a Haile Gebrselassie as well, he has been to Manchester a few times

:49:51. > :49:55.now. I am impressed with the way he is running. I don't know how you

:49:55. > :50:00.can be impressed by him because he has done so many great things, but

:50:00. > :50:07.he is going very, very well indeed today. He will be running next week

:50:07. > :50:14.on the track. That will be in Hengelo, where he has performed

:50:14. > :50:24.wonderfully over the years. It could well be his last performance

:50:24. > :50:34.there. On the basis of this, Bekele is not running very well, he was

:50:34. > :50:38.

:50:38. > :50:43.well beaten in Shanghai over 5,000 These three guys are three of the

:50:43. > :50:48.best runners in the world and they can't live with him. You talked

:50:48. > :50:56.about Haile Gebrselassie's range of racing. Even if he was running in a

:50:56. > :51:01.1,500 metres race, we knew what kind of finishing speed he had. The

:51:01. > :51:05.former world record holder for the marathon. That is the chasing group.

:51:05. > :51:11.Kebede, the front runner of that group, and world record holder for

:51:12. > :51:14.the marathon, Patrick Makau, who broke Gebrselassie's record.

:51:14. > :51:20.Gebrselassie at the moment is showing they are more likely an

:51:20. > :51:24.Perry feels. I think his lead may be increasing a little bit. He

:51:24. > :51:29.knows this course pretty well. He pretty much went away from the

:51:29. > :51:35.group at the same point as back-up -- Masai did in the women's race.

:51:35. > :51:39.Is this the start of a real big comeback for Haile Gebrselassie? He

:51:39. > :51:43.has won here four times before, more than anybody else in the ten-

:51:44. > :51:49.year race history. In fact, he was a guest yesterday of the organisers

:51:49. > :51:54.of the race and the host, Manchester City Council, and he

:51:54. > :51:58.taught wonderfully about his experiences in track and field

:51:58. > :52:01.athletics, and his losses. When he was asked a question about whether

:52:01. > :52:10.he would compete in London, that little wry smile happened once

:52:10. > :52:16.again. He said, well, who knows. He has got this track race coming up.

:52:16. > :52:20.I have to say, I didn't think I would say this, but he has gone off

:52:20. > :52:25.very hard here and in recent years we have seen that in his head he

:52:25. > :52:29.does what he wants to do and then he is not able to maintain it. If

:52:29. > :52:33.he maintains this pays, he is running as quick as ever on the

:52:33. > :52:40.roads. If that translates to a track performance next week, who

:52:40. > :52:45.knows? There's no reason why he and the Ethiopian federation might have

:52:45. > :52:50.another look at this. On the basis of what we have seen in the first

:52:50. > :52:55.six kilometres, this is the old Haile Gebrselassie in terms of

:52:55. > :52:59.performance. The big question now is can he maintain this to the

:52:59. > :53:03.finish? He keeps looking behind him. There's a tough section through

:53:03. > :53:10.here. It is a pretty flat course, but if anything, this is the

:53:10. > :53:18.hardest, To. Then a little downhill section. But he is still running

:53:18. > :53:24.strong. Let's see what he can do, this is great to see. Jessica Ennis

:53:24. > :53:28.is watching. Looking forward to seeing her later on. She has a big

:53:28. > :53:32.heptathlon next week to look forward to. This morning she has

:53:32. > :53:42.easier duties. She has to make sure she presses the horn as hard as she

:53:42. > :53:48.

:53:48. > :53:55.can. She is explaining hurdle run from a remarkable man. He is

:53:55. > :53:59.working hard, let's make no mistake about it. He has run away, at the

:53:59. > :54:03.moment, from three of the best distance runners in the world. I

:54:03. > :54:08.think the gap we saw about a kilometre or ago has been increased,

:54:08. > :54:12.but he is working hard. He knows this course better than anybody and

:54:12. > :54:19.he has been in this position four times in the past, as he heads

:54:19. > :54:26.towards home. Looking at his prospects of competing in the

:54:26. > :54:29.Olympic Stadium... There's Kebede in second place, the diminutive

:54:30. > :54:38.little fellow from Ethiopia. A team-mate of Haile Gebrselassie, of

:54:38. > :54:42.course. Haile Gebrselassie would not want to turn out for the London

:54:42. > :54:47.Olympics in other thing worse than 100% shape. He would not just go

:54:47. > :54:52.along for the ride. The problem is exactly that. He can do the

:54:52. > :54:56.qualifying time, of course he can. But can he go to the Olympics and

:54:56. > :55:04.be competitive on the last lap? The 10,000 metres, you remember what

:55:04. > :55:08.happened in the World Championships last year. Mo Farah, Bekele, can he

:55:08. > :55:13.run a 54 last-lap? That is the thing which is probably missing in

:55:13. > :55:18.his armoury. We used to be the king of doing that. -- he used to be

:55:18. > :55:22.forced up fast times of one thing, but you have to be competitive.

:55:22. > :55:27.Does he want to go to the limit and finish 7th or 8th? That is

:55:27. > :55:30.something only he will know about. In terms of qualification, the

:55:30. > :55:37.Ethiopians have got so much talent and ability, so many people to

:55:38. > :55:42.choose from. Despite all of his exploits and his greatness, he and

:55:42. > :55:47.they might feel as though that is not something they want to push

:55:47. > :55:52.himself into that area. But so far today, a really impressive. Two

:55:52. > :56:02.point 47 for the last kilometre, the slowest of the race so far. --

:56:02. > :56:04.

:56:04. > :56:12.are sent on their way. A lot of money will be raised for charity

:56:12. > :56:17.today. As happens with all of these mass participation races. One of

:56:17. > :56:23.the things I did not realise until I heard one of the Manchester City

:56:23. > :56:27.officials say last night was that it really has made a difference to

:56:27. > :56:32.the health of all of these people. People are coming out of their

:56:32. > :56:36.houses, or four of their armchairs and running, for them, what is it

:56:36. > :56:42.perfect distance. Even if you are a beginner, it is not a half-marathon

:56:42. > :56:47.or marathon. 10k is within the scope of most very average runners.

:56:47. > :56:53.This is the perfect distance to start with. And perfect distance

:56:53. > :56:59.for Haile Gebrselassie at the moment. He is 15 seconds ahead of

:56:59. > :57:04.Abshero, Kebede and Patrick Makau I. The world record holder for the

:57:04. > :57:08.marathon has dropped off the chasing group. Is it all over bar

:57:08. > :57:15.the shouting? Well, if Gebrselassie has got anything to do with it, you

:57:15. > :57:22.have to say with two kilometres to go, yes. It has certainly slowed,

:57:22. > :57:27.perhaps not surprisingly. There's no impact on the lead. They are not

:57:27. > :57:34.really chasing him down. He looks a little bit more tired now. He is

:57:34. > :57:42.running more at a pace that will bring him closer to 27.25. That is

:57:42. > :57:49.my guess. It depends how much she finds towards the end. Once you are

:57:49. > :57:54.heading back, and we are looking from overhead, you can almost see

:57:54. > :57:58.the city centre. He will be able to see the tall buildings, he will no

:57:58. > :58:03.home is within sight. Having to work a little bit harder now. That

:58:03. > :58:12.is the point about the fast finish, I'm not sure he would have needed

:58:13. > :58:16.it today anyway, but... I was talking about tall buildings. He

:58:16. > :58:21.has made sure today he was not going to get into a hard push in

:58:21. > :58:28.the last couple of kilometres. He made them work hard. They have done

:58:28. > :58:38.marathons as well. Makau and Kebede are fresh from London. Abshero with

:58:38. > :58:48.his thoughts on the Olympics. The way has been left clear for

:58:48. > :58:52.

:58:52. > :58:59.Gebrselassie. They are chasing, but clear indication as to the sort of

:58:59. > :59:05.pace Gebrselassie is running out at the moment. The two eyed Schroders

:59:05. > :59:09.-- outriders are really having to push on. The Gebrselassie looked

:59:09. > :59:15.behind him once more. I don't think I've ever seen him look back so

:59:15. > :59:19.often, but he knows he has got two world-class athlete behind him.

:59:19. > :59:25.Just over 25 minutes of racing, and Gebrselassie has made this race his

:59:25. > :59:30.own. Under one kilometre to go now for the great man. He is grimacing,

:59:30. > :59:39.he is working hard. But he does that every time he goes out on a

:59:39. > :59:43.training run. What is the best race you have ever seen him run?

:59:43. > :59:51.race I enjoyed the most, and I think everybody will go back to

:59:51. > :59:54.Sydney and that great race with margins in athletics, we are

:59:54. > :00:00.normally talking about hundreds of the second, but when it happens in

:00:00. > :00:03.the 10,000 metres, you remember those races forever. He has had a

:00:03. > :00:08.great career, but he has raised some great athletes as well during

:00:08. > :00:12.his career. He has had to be very, very good. It wasn't until Bekele

:00:12. > :00:18.came along and started to challenge him, and when it is your own team-

:00:18. > :00:21.mate as well, it adds a different dimension to it. It has been great

:00:21. > :00:25.that he has managed to maintain this level of ability and

:00:25. > :00:30.enthusiasm. When you have had such a successful career over the years,

:00:30. > :00:34.to maintain the freshness, to maintain the hunger, to maintain

:00:34. > :00:38.the desire, to do the training required to still compete is

:00:38. > :00:44.admirable. He has had a few injuries, not too many over the

:00:44. > :00:48.years, he has looked after himself so well. He is the king of Ethiopia

:00:49. > :00:52.as well. He has all sorts of business interests. If he ever

:00:52. > :01:02.wants to do anything outside of the athletics world, he will be more

:01:02. > :01:11.

:01:11. > :01:16.He has slowed, but the race was won in the early stages when he made

:01:16. > :01:22.the first four or five kilometres so quick. He can enjoy the applause

:01:22. > :01:31.of the crowd at once more. They love to see him in Manchester. He

:01:31. > :01:37.gets great support around the world wherever he goes. Probably the most

:01:37. > :01:44.popular distance runner there has ever been, Haile Gebrselassie. The

:01:44. > :01:49.grimness turns to a smile again. The waves and the adulation for

:01:49. > :01:59.perhaps the greatest ever. Is this the last time we will see him? I

:01:59. > :02:01.

:02:01. > :02:10.hope not, but if it is it has been a great victory for the little man.

:02:10. > :02:20.Where he belongs, at the front, on top, number one. His team-mates are

:02:20. > :02:21.

:02:21. > :02:31.having their own little race. There was nothing they could do about

:02:31. > :02:32.

:02:32. > :02:41.their he wrote to Dave. About their hero at today. Stephen Kiprotich is

:02:41. > :02:46.coming through to get ahead of Patrick Makau. The world record

:02:46. > :02:52.holder had a very disappointing performance in London, he had his

:02:52. > :03:02.Olympic dream taken away from him. Sergey Lebid is a very familiar man

:03:02. > :03:04.

:03:04. > :03:10.in Manchester. Nine times a European cross country champion.

:03:10. > :03:15.Haile Gebrselassie with the Ethiopian scarf around his neck. He

:03:15. > :03:22.can enjoy all the interviews and the photographs. The second half of

:03:22. > :03:32.his race was 14 minutes and 18 seconds. He did destroy them early

:03:32. > :03:36.on. It was arrays of two halves. He won it early. We would love to see

:03:36. > :03:42.him in the Olympics, but he knows deep down the that is not the sort

:03:42. > :03:52.of performance that will win him an Olympic medal. We will watch with a

:03:52. > :03:58.

:03:58. > :04:03.bit of interest to see how he runs on the track next week. The time is

:04:04. > :04:08.getting towards the 30 minute mark. Neil Burton has done pretty well.

:04:08. > :04:18.That is well inside his previous best. He is going to be well

:04:18. > :04:43.

:04:43. > :04:50.personal bests. They will all say, I ran against Haile Gebrselassie,

:04:50. > :04:55.he was not that far ahead of me!. There are so many people wanting to

:04:55. > :05:01.take part in this event, so they cannot be on the road all at the

:05:01. > :05:07.same time, so we have a series of waves. They are very well

:05:07. > :05:11.marshalled. They are very patient down there. What they have not told

:05:11. > :05:16.Jessica Ennis is that she has to stand there for three hours as

:05:16. > :05:23.everybody goes by. We will be seeing her later on this afternoon.

:05:23. > :05:28.We look forward to that. She has got very tough opposition as well,

:05:28. > :05:36.it's a former Olympic champion in the hurdles down at Deansgate. It

:05:36. > :05:45.is spectacular to watch. It is spectacular to experience as well.

:05:45. > :05:54.Is that low fives? He is going to have a sore hand at the end of this.

:05:54. > :06:01.There are still thousands of runners. Joe Corrigan is there as

:06:01. > :06:07.well, and what a wonderful sight. It all started 10 years ago. It has

:06:07. > :06:13.come on since then. This race has been awarded to gold label status

:06:13. > :06:17.by the governing body of the sport, largely as a result of the exploits

:06:17. > :06:25.of this man, Haile Gebrselassie, the winner once again here in

:06:25. > :06:34.Manchester. The great Ethiopia ran is a major feature of life in

:06:34. > :06:39.Ethiopia. He is almost the cane of Ethiopia. Everybody wants to have a

:06:39. > :06:44.share of the sort of success and the prestige that Haile

:06:45. > :06:48.Gebrselassie has brought to the country. A massive fun run goes on

:06:48. > :06:58.in Addis Ababa back every year and its popularity is really down to

:06:58. > :07:10.

:07:10. > :07:15.today, but there has been plenty of training and it is great to see

:07:15. > :07:19.people from all sorts of age backgrounds running for all sorts

:07:19. > :07:25.of good causes and plenty of celebrities as well. Let's find out

:07:25. > :07:32.who is taking part. There is a running tradition in Emmerdale and

:07:32. > :07:41.three of the stars are with me now. Who started this trend on the show?

:07:42. > :07:47.Chris got me into this. I blame him. I blame him. I blame Chris as well.

:07:47. > :07:52.He has been an absolute inspiration. The first thing he said, come and

:07:52. > :08:01.join the team. You are lying because I asked if you played

:08:01. > :08:06.cricket first. Does he? No. We saw you dressed as a schoolboy in the

:08:06. > :08:12.London Marathon. We were talking to you at Canary Wharf, but you are

:08:13. > :08:18.not dressed up today. I am going to have a year of getting fit again

:08:18. > :08:23.because Geoff took me down to London and he beat me in London.

:08:23. > :08:28.was the first time. Next year I am going to get a lot quicker to beat

:08:28. > :08:35.him by a good 10 minutes. The challenge is set down now. Here we

:08:35. > :08:44.go. You raise so much money on Emmerdale, all of you and the cast,

:08:44. > :08:49.tell us about it. We have been running for a leukaemia research

:08:49. > :08:56.for a while. You can go out and buy these teddy bears for you caves. I

:08:56. > :09:06.am going to get one. That is very fetching. Thank you for talking to

:09:06. > :09:07.

:09:07. > :09:11.us. We are unstoppable! certainly is a change its seeing

:09:12. > :09:18.Tony not running in fancy dress, so maybe he is taking this one a

:09:18. > :09:24.little bit more serious dip. So many people will be running in a

:09:24. > :09:32.race like this for the very first time. 10 kilometres is just about

:09:33. > :09:38.the perfect distance for them. Jessica Ennis is sticking around.

:09:38. > :09:45.She is interested in what is going on. We will see her running down in

:09:45. > :09:54.Deansgate later. Meanwhile, Phil has got more stories for us. There

:09:55. > :10:00.are many celebrities here and here is OJ Borg. You do a bit of singing

:10:00. > :10:06.and running ordinarily, tell me what you are up to. I am just going

:10:06. > :10:13.to sing today. I will not be able to run in this suit. That is death

:10:13. > :10:22.now a sports suit. He is wearing sports leather shoes as well.

:10:22. > :10:27.just going to get my badge on later. Where will you be singing? I will

:10:27. > :10:34.be singing a bit further up. Here it is too noisy, so that is why I

:10:34. > :10:38.do it further up to get them already. I set them off on their

:10:38. > :10:43.way and inspire them for 10 kilometres. You have done that in

:10:43. > :10:51.the past. Are you going to be inspired to break your personal

:10:51. > :11:01.best? I swear it is too short, so I am sure the record I have got is to

:11:01. > :11:01.

:11:01. > :11:07.fast! I just needed to not get carried away at the start because I

:11:07. > :11:14.go off like a shot. I set you off at the Olympic Park. Today it is

:11:14. > :11:19.going to be even faster for you. Looks 750 metres down the road you

:11:19. > :11:29.will see me in a heap crying saying, that it was too fast. Good luck

:11:29. > :11:35.

:11:35. > :11:44.with the singing. Thank you. From a couple of reluctant celebrities,

:11:44. > :11:50.Nell McAndrew was crossing the line. I missed the clock. 36.50, that is

:11:50. > :11:56.pretty good. Any of you who do this kind of stuff, that is pretty swift

:11:56. > :12:05.running. She has been phenomenal over the last few years. A great

:12:05. > :12:11.London Marathon this year. 2.54, something like that. She is the 6th

:12:11. > :12:16.fastest and masters athlete, in the whole of the UK during 2012. She is

:12:16. > :12:24.a pretty useful athlete, there is no doubt about that. All I know is

:12:24. > :12:32.I would not raise her right now. You are wondering about of this, I

:12:32. > :12:38.was reading something the other day and the first ever study in 1976,

:12:38. > :12:45.studying 20,000 people, and it said that people who run live longer. I

:12:45. > :12:49.am sorry to tell you because you were a thrower. The average is six

:12:49. > :12:55.years for a man and five-and-a-half years for a woman. If you are

:12:55. > :13:00.wondering if this does you any good, the answer is yes. Years ago we

:13:00. > :13:06.would never have envisaged this sort of site. I will meet you on a

:13:06. > :13:11.Sunday morning down in the city and we can go for a run. We heard from

:13:11. > :13:17.Phil Jones at the start weather are lots of stories to be told, but

:13:18. > :13:22.also at the finish. Mara Yamauchi and Charlotte perdu are with me.

:13:22. > :13:26.This is just a sprint for you, so how pleased are you with that

:13:26. > :13:32.performance? I am pleased because my training is geared towards the

:13:32. > :13:38.Olympic marathon end of us, so this was a sprint. I am happy with that

:13:38. > :13:43.time I ran. Everything is on track for August. What have you got next

:13:43. > :13:47.leading up to that important race? I will be doing another 10

:13:47. > :13:52.kilometres a raise in London and then I will be doing a half

:13:52. > :13:57.marathon in June. Charlotte, you were in 4th place, how pleased are

:13:57. > :14:02.you with that? I am really pleased. I have a good block of training and

:14:02. > :14:06.I am targeting to make the 10th kilometre team at the Olympic Games

:14:06. > :14:10.and this is a good stepping stone to that will stop the trials for

:14:10. > :14:15.you will be the big moment. Definitely and I am doing another

:14:15. > :14:21.10 kilometres at two weeks from today and I hope I will get an

:14:21. > :14:25.Olympic qualifying time. A bit about the crowds and the atmosphere.

:14:25. > :14:35.Fantastic, at Manchester is a centre of sport and it is a great

:14:35. > :14:35.

:14:35. > :14:39.atmosphere. Come ventilators to rest of -- to both of you. I am

:14:39. > :14:43.pleased that Mara Yamauchi is pleased with that. She finished in

:14:43. > :14:49.6th place in the Beijing Marathon and she would love to grow a few

:14:49. > :14:54.places higher than that. When you see scenes like this, Steve, you

:14:54. > :14:58.think back to the Commonwealth Games and there was a bit of a

:14:58. > :15:03.hangover in Manchester after that because it was such a great events

:15:03. > :15:07.despite the weather. With the Manchester 10 kilometres and the

:15:07. > :15:14.Manchester swim as well, there is a big open air swim happening very

:15:14. > :15:18.shortly, and the Manchester cycle ride, which is a new events, it

:15:18. > :15:25.will be a new edition to all of these great events which happen in

:15:25. > :15:32.Manchester. Well, the hangover has gone and it is in many people's

:15:32. > :15:36.opinion now the City of sport. Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games

:15:36. > :15:46.organisers wanted to leave a legacy and when you see events like this,

:15:46. > :15:52.

:15:52. > :15:59.couple of hours at least. It was clear a little while ago for a

:15:59. > :16:09.Haile Gebrselassie. He stormed through to the winning time of

:16:09. > :16:29.

:16:29. > :16:39.27.38, which was a second quicker Masai. A second outside Charlotte

:16:39. > :16:58.

:16:58. > :17:03.paratriathlon champion two years in a row, she has won for the first

:17:03. > :17:10.time in Manchester. -- Jane again. In the men's race, there really was

:17:10. > :17:16.only one winner, they could be only one winner. Haile Gebrselassie. He

:17:16. > :17:23.spoke to Jonathan Edwards. fantastic run, you must be

:17:23. > :17:28.delighted with that. Yes, it was wonderful, I'm so happy. I did not

:17:28. > :17:37.expect to run that fast. I had a bit of doubt yesterday because of

:17:37. > :17:42.the weather, but the weather today was fantastic. Great day. All sorts

:17:42. > :17:47.of questions about whether or not you will retire, but after that

:17:47. > :17:54.performance, London 2012, 10,000 metres, a possibility? Yes, that is

:17:54. > :18:00.what I'm thinking now. Next week I have to be in the top three. Maybe

:18:00. > :18:04.I will be in London. We hope so. You're watching on television the

:18:04. > :18:14.shots of the Olympic torch and that must make you want to be in London.

:18:14. > :18:18.

:18:18. > :18:22.Sure, I don't want to miss it. It is London. I have to be here. I

:18:22. > :18:30.will try to be in the team. could be running with the torch,

:18:30. > :18:35.perhaps? Yes, that would be another thing. I will be in Newcastle with

:18:35. > :18:41.Brendan Foster in June. Always fantastic to see a, a brilliant run

:18:41. > :18:46.and we hope to see you in London. Thank you. 67 days until the

:18:46. > :18:51.opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games. One of the buzzwords

:18:51. > :18:55.his legacy. It seems appropriate, 10 years on from the Commonwealth

:18:55. > :19:04.Games in 2002, to reflect on the legacy of that great event. It is

:19:04. > :19:06.my pleasure to declare the 17th Commonwealth Games open.

:19:06. > :19:10.Commonwealth Games open. opening ceremony of the

:19:10. > :19:17.Commonwealth Games was usually emotional. It was the most

:19:17. > :19:22.fantastic experience of my life. just remember track and field.

:19:22. > :19:26.Paula Radcliffe winning the 5,000 metres in remarkable style.

:19:26. > :19:31.Watching the stadium rise to their feet as she ran around the stadium.

:19:31. > :19:35.It was a very, very special moment. It gave us an opportunity to

:19:35. > :19:38.transmitter very powerful image about the new Manchester. The most

:19:38. > :19:43.important thing you get out of successfully staging great events

:19:43. > :19:49.are more young people playing sport, but also leaving the facilities to

:19:49. > :19:54.compete in. Everything was going to be used after the Games, we knew

:19:54. > :19:58.how it was going to be paid for. The number of international

:19:58. > :20:02.visitors that come to Manchester has increased spectaculars at a

:20:02. > :20:08.best spectacularly. We have continued to build on our legacy of

:20:08. > :20:14.the Games by continuing to invest in community sports, by continuing

:20:14. > :20:21.to drive elite performance. Virtually every World Championship

:20:21. > :20:25.has come to the UK. European Championship has found its way to

:20:25. > :20:31.the north-west of England. We were looking for something that could be

:20:31. > :20:37.uniquely Mancunian. Clearly, it has been an absolutely enormous success

:20:37. > :20:41.and not only in terms of the event itself, but all of the other events

:20:41. > :20:46.that have come along. I think Manchester is the capital of sport

:20:46. > :20:54.in this country. When London threw its hat in the ring, there was

:20:54. > :21:00.really only Manchester that we were able to 0.2 as being a world-class

:21:00. > :21:04.event organised in a great way. for the 2002 Commonwealth Games,

:21:04. > :21:14.there would have been no prospect of Britain hosting the Olympics in

:21:14. > :21:20.

:21:20. > :21:25.Manchester Commonwealth Games. Richard least, I caught up with him

:21:25. > :21:28.there at the start. I have got the there at the start. I have got the

:21:28. > :21:34.leader of Manchester City Council. Also running today. How important

:21:34. > :21:38.is this event to Manchester? This is one of the principal successor

:21:38. > :21:42.events to the Commonwealth Games. It brings 40,000 people into the

:21:42. > :21:46.city, it gets us on TV screens all over the world, it gets people

:21:46. > :21:52.fitter and healthier and it raises millions for charity. It is not

:21:52. > :21:56.just one event, it is a whole weekend of events, and this year it

:21:56. > :22:01.is kicking off six weeks of events. It has grown and grown and grown,

:22:01. > :22:06.with the aim of being the biggest mass part of the beige and

:22:06. > :22:10.collection of events anywhere in the country. We have got the mass

:22:10. > :22:13.cycling taking place, going right through to the Olympics. You must

:22:13. > :22:19.smile with all the talk about London 20 drug and legacy. You have

:22:19. > :22:24.been there and done that. London 2012 is part of our legacy. They

:22:24. > :22:29.would not be doing it if it wasn't for us. Manchester doesn't stand

:22:29. > :22:33.still, we are moving on, we are still hosting major sporting events

:22:33. > :22:38.every year and this is one of the biggest and best of those. How is

:22:38. > :22:44.your form for today? I'm Beijing. I did pretty well a couple of years

:22:44. > :22:47.ago, when I last did it. -- I am ageing. I am not expecting a good

:22:47. > :22:57.time this year. Good luck and congratulations on everything you

:22:57. > :23:01.

:23:01. > :23:09.is also part of that. It is all right saying come and take part,

:23:10. > :23:16.but the fact he is Alvarez's well is a great feather in his cap. --

:23:16. > :23:20.he is out there as well. People are just enjoying the fact they can

:23:20. > :23:25.come and take part in such a major event. It is what draws people to

:23:25. > :23:28.it. Running can be lonely at times, but when you can come along to

:23:29. > :23:32.something like this and share the experience with thousands of others,

:23:32. > :23:42.it gives it a sense of occasion and there will be a real sense of

:23:42. > :23:42.

:23:42. > :23:50.achievement. Good luck with the singing! If he breaks out into a

:23:50. > :24:00.chorus of Blue Moon, he might get some things thrown at him! Joined

:24:00. > :24:05.

:24:05. > :24:11.those people patiently waiting for their chance to get their legs

:24:11. > :24:21.moving. -- all of those people. You can see various clocks because of

:24:21. > :24:31.

:24:31. > :24:35.the various waves. The first wave electronic chip which is only

:24:35. > :24:43.activated when they cross the start line so they all get a very

:24:43. > :24:46.accurate time at the end. Well, we've been catching up on plenty of

:24:46. > :24:55.stories are there and Phil has got stories are there and Phil has got

:24:55. > :24:58.another one. A great team here from Coronation Street. You are running

:24:58. > :25:03.for different causes. I'm running for the East Cheshire Hospice,

:25:03. > :25:09.which is the hospice where my dad was dead for before he passed away.

:25:09. > :25:18.Fantastic. How about you? running for the Christie. There are

:25:18. > :25:23.4,000 of us. You will be in the same kit? I'm in blue and she is in

:25:23. > :25:26.a luminous green yellow. We need to stand out. We've got a lot less

:25:26. > :25:31.runners for the hospice and the Christie. Trying to stand up.

:25:31. > :25:36.me what you like about this occasion in particular. For the

:25:36. > :25:41.pair of us, we'll a lot to Manchester. We get to work in this

:25:41. > :25:46.great city every day. Coronation Street is synonymous with

:25:46. > :25:50.Manchester. Manchester United and Manchester City. They are

:25:50. > :25:55.synonymous with Manchester. It is nice for us to feel part of a

:25:55. > :25:59.greater community. It brings everyone together as well. An event

:25:59. > :26:03.like this get bigger and better every year. Everyone is in such a

:26:03. > :26:09.good mood and we are all running for such good causes. It is a

:26:09. > :26:13.really good team spirit. What about your own personal performance? Have

:26:13. > :26:21.you got goals like that? I am trying to beat my time from last

:26:21. > :26:27.year. What is it? 56 minutes. would be happy with that. I would

:26:27. > :26:32.be happy with four hours. He signs autographs on the way round. That

:26:32. > :26:37.is where I'm letting myself down! Any time is a good time. It is just

:26:37. > :26:42.great to be here. The day before, you think, why am I doing it? When

:26:42. > :26:52.you get it, you realise why. Nothing but a pleasure. We will see

:26:52. > :26:58.

:26:58. > :27:04.So many celebrities taking part, so many great causes benefiting from

:27:04. > :27:08.their patronage of events like this. You never know who you are running

:27:09. > :27:16.next day when you are out there. Everybody looks the same. You never

:27:16. > :27:22.quite know who is alongside you at an event like this. Now, I'm not

:27:22. > :27:26.sure what he has come as. I can't see the full uniform. Any clues?

:27:26. > :27:30.You have normally got a witty line on occasions such as this.

:27:30. > :27:40.haven't got one on this occasion! I'm just wondering how he will

:27:40. > :27:50.

:27:50. > :27:54.Breathe. People are running for charity and that is what drives

:27:54. > :27:57.people on year after year as this race get bigger and better. I'm

:27:57. > :28:03.sure since Bobby Charlton started the race a few years ago he will

:28:03. > :28:09.have noticed an increase in the crowds, an increase in the level of

:28:09. > :28:16.enthusiasm. Manchester is buzzing today, as it has been for the last

:28:16. > :28:20.couple of weeks. Really important that the organisation goes well.

:28:20. > :28:24.You have a lot of people out there and you can see the way they are

:28:24. > :28:29.marshalled through the start. The idea is to let them walk to that

:28:29. > :28:33.point and then they can start running. They just have to be

:28:33. > :28:39.patient. That is something they are aware of and they get their

:28:39. > :28:44.individual time. I keep mentioning so many great stories and Phil has

:28:44. > :28:50.been picking up on one or two really interesting stories. This is

:28:50. > :29:00.the story of a man who was quite well known in these parts. His name

:29:00. > :29:13.

:29:13. > :29:19.Taxi! I want to go into Manchester. No problem. Get in. Off we go.

:29:19. > :29:22.is Salford Quays, the old Manchester docks. This is the

:29:22. > :29:30.Manchester Ship Canal Basin. That little building is Old Trafford,

:29:30. > :29:35.the football ground. They used to be the league champions! We got a

:29:35. > :29:40.good shot of Old Trafford over there. We will get a better close-

:29:40. > :29:44.up on Sunday. We will run past Old Trafford. As somebody who drives

:29:44. > :29:47.people around and shows them the site, what is it like for you to be

:29:47. > :29:52.site, what is it like for you to be running that race? I like to join

:29:52. > :29:56.get to know your way around Manchester and get to know about

:29:56. > :30:01.the buildings, and the only way is by joining in with what is going on.

:30:01. > :30:05.I'm doing the 10k run, which is today, I'm doing the great

:30:05. > :30:10.Manchester cycle ride in a couple of weeks, and a more Soderling the

:30:10. > :30:14.great Manchester swim, which is where we are now. Doing it for a

:30:14. > :30:18.worthy cause? A special needs school in south Manchester. Free-

:30:18. > :30:23.kick Manchester events, I'm a Mancunian, and it is at Manchester

:30:23. > :30:28.School we are doing it for. Tell me why you got into this and the first

:30:28. > :30:30.place? A few years ago I was fairly ill. I was not keeping myself fit,

:30:30. > :30:36.ill. I was not keeping myself fit, drinking too much and not

:30:36. > :30:41.exercising. I decided then, after a bit of banter with friends, saying

:30:41. > :30:46.I had put a bit of weight on, and my wife as well, I decided to start

:30:46. > :30:56.training and it snowballed. If I can do it, anyone can do it. The

:30:56. > :31:04.

:31:04. > :31:11.That is impressive. We are going to travel back to 1000 years to Roman

:31:11. > :31:20.Manchester. We are looking to see what the Romans would have seen.

:31:20. > :31:27.Except for the Tower! Then we are coming to arbour Square, this is

:31:27. > :31:33.the main, civic centre of Manchester. In tis an amazing

:31:33. > :31:37.building. It is a reminder for us of the Commonwealth Games. You will

:31:37. > :31:42.have done all the work in the morning by the time that comes

:31:42. > :31:52.around. That is the end of the tour, see you again soon. Do you want any

:31:52. > :31:58.

:31:58. > :32:02.a free ride. Just outside the town hall is where the organisers have

:32:02. > :32:07.been constructing a portable pole vault runway where we will be able

:32:07. > :32:12.to see the world, in dire bronze medallist, Holly Bleasdale, aiming

:32:12. > :32:18.to get victory this afternoon against rivals from all over the

:32:18. > :32:25.world. I saw her at breakfast this morning and she said, I cannot wait

:32:25. > :32:29.to get over there and have a look. It is a chance for her to have a

:32:29. > :32:36.pole-vault competition, which happens regularly around the world

:32:36. > :32:46.these days. They are held in city- centre venues to give the crowds a

:32:46. > :32:46.

:32:46. > :32:51.chance to get close and personal as it were. I heard of a major shot

:32:51. > :32:57.put competition taking place in a station recently. There were

:32:57. > :33:01.something like 7000 people watching. There is the pole vault runway

:33:01. > :33:06.looking absolutely splendid in front of the town hall, which is a

:33:06. > :33:11.beautiful building itself. Certainly a lot to look at four

:33:11. > :33:16.interested spectators. They will see some sites this afternoon.

:33:16. > :33:22.Early on this morning we had some great action and the women's race

:33:22. > :33:27.got under way first. It had some of Britain's new talent, Charlotte

:33:27. > :33:34.perjure, Gemma Steel and Mara Yamauchi looking for a sharper now

:33:34. > :33:44.before the London Marathon. It was a pretty steady pace early on. But

:33:44. > :33:44.

:33:44. > :33:48.it was not long before a Linet Masai move to to the front. She

:33:48. > :33:54.stretched the lead and it was a very comfortable win for the former

:33:54. > :33:59.world champion. She will be happy she has got that out of the way and

:33:59. > :34:07.can now concentrate on her selection for London. Charlotte

:34:07. > :34:11.perdu was in 4th place. She is looking forward to the 10

:34:11. > :34:21.kilometres on the track now and like everybody else will want to

:34:21. > :34:22.

:34:22. > :34:29.compete in the Games. I do not know who makes these suits up. On any

:34:29. > :34:37.other occasion but today you would run a mile in another direction.

:34:37. > :34:43.That is John Chipperfield in there. That is just one of the costumes on

:34:43. > :34:52.view today. Most people these days prefer to wear the normal running

:34:52. > :35:00.Kate. You were talking earlier, Steve, about all the different

:35:00. > :35:06.waves, the defence starts at the start line. When this race started

:35:06. > :35:11.10 years ago there was just one race with a few 1000 spectators.

:35:11. > :35:16.They are all waiting in anticipation for what could be a

:35:16. > :35:23.great day. We can join fell and see what war stories he has got for us.

:35:23. > :35:29.I am in the celebrity compound joined by Peter Hook and Bill

:35:29. > :35:34.Turnbull. You are raising money for Mairi Curie cancer. Now it is your

:35:34. > :35:39.local race. Yes, just renewing my acquaintance with the streets of

:35:39. > :35:44.Manchester. It feels like coming home. I have not been very fit

:35:44. > :35:51.recently, but today is the day. Rachel, it is a local race for you

:35:51. > :35:55.as well. It is going to be nice. It is lovely to see a city on a

:35:55. > :35:59.relatively quiet Sunday morning from a different perspective. To be

:36:00. > :36:05.honest, it was an excuse to get out of the house and away from the kids

:36:05. > :36:09.for a couple of hours. Peter, we have seen you here before her.

:36:09. > :36:15.aren't of the great things about doing this is it is inspiring to

:36:15. > :36:20.get other people involved. It is a fantastic day and it is well worth

:36:20. > :36:27.it and the causes people do it for a really important, so I am happy

:36:27. > :36:33.to do it. It is nice that you could join us. 40,000 people, it is like

:36:33. > :36:38.being in a festival, isn't it? it is getting bigger by the year.

:36:38. > :36:45.You have been here in the past and to see 40,000 entrance when there

:36:45. > :36:49.were only 5000 in its infancy. cannot imagine it could get bitter

:36:49. > :36:55.-- bigger, but with a staggered start you could go all day if you

:36:55. > :37:00.wanted. It is huge organisation, they did a fantastic job putting it

:37:00. > :37:05.altogether, but it is all running very smoothly. The great swim and

:37:05. > :37:14.the great cycle to come. This is where it is all happening. I told

:37:14. > :37:18.you. Yes, you did, and the support is phenomenal. It is fantastic.

:37:18. > :37:27.Enjoy it and raise money for great causes, thank you very much for

:37:27. > :37:34.talking to us. Thank you. Good luck, indeed. It is good to see the BBC

:37:34. > :37:39.well represented. As was being alluded to, it is the new home of

:37:39. > :37:44.BBC Sport and Radio 5 Live, so opportunities for them to get out

:37:44. > :37:52.and join in all the fun. We are going to enjoy some of the sites

:37:52. > :38:00.and the scenes from today's event. If there is any one you are looking

:38:00. > :38:10.out for, let us know what they are up to and you will see some of the

:38:10. > :38:10.

:38:10. > :40:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 143 seconds

:40:33. > :40:39.names scrolling across the bottom causes and a lot of people have not

:40:39. > :40:44.even started yet to be honest. Still thousands yet to have their

:40:44. > :40:51.opportunity to stretch their legs out. It is really well organised at

:40:51. > :41:00.the start. Of course, they will all come back into the city, so it is

:41:00. > :41:05.almost like a conveyor belts of runners of all shapes, sizes, ages.

:41:05. > :41:15.So many from the north-west region, but plenty coming from around the

:41:15. > :41:15.

:41:15. > :41:23.country to take part in one of the biggest events. Just over an hour

:41:23. > :41:27.ago, the first of the mass races started and with it the men's

:41:27. > :41:33.eights race. Everybody was looking forward to watching Haile

:41:33. > :41:38.Gebrselassie again coming to win the race, which he has won on three

:41:38. > :41:44.occasions before. There was no doubt about the result today. It

:41:44. > :41:53.was an impressive first five kilometres about the great man. It

:41:54. > :41:59.had us all wondering and even himself. He destroyed the track,

:41:59. > :42:04.and now he is looking forward to a track event next week. You never

:42:04. > :42:10.know, we might see him again at the Olympic Games. Let's hope it is not

:42:10. > :42:15.the last time we see him in Manchester. A great win for a Haile

:42:16. > :42:25.Gebrselassie. That is the cue for coffee, by the way. You do not

:42:26. > :42:26.

:42:26. > :42:35.really need it a day, it is not too bad out there. Plenty of spectators

:42:35. > :42:43.and hopefully they will becoming further down Deansgate. Beyond

:42:43. > :42:53.their the track is already laid for the great city games this afternoon.

:42:53. > :42:54.

:42:54. > :42:59.These people are waiting for their chance. Jonathan will bring us news

:42:59. > :43:05.of some other people who have had their go. We have to have the

:43:05. > :43:10.youngsters on a day like this as well. Yes, it is all grown-ups

:43:10. > :43:20.streaming past me, but yesterday was the turn of the youngsters, the

:43:20. > :43:55.

:43:55. > :44:05.under 16 s and the Under eights and It was fun running with lots of

:44:05. > :44:06.

:44:06. > :45:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 143 seconds

:45:51. > :45:55.Good atmosphere. Lot of good I'm here with Kirsty how would. You

:45:55. > :46:00.have raised millions of pounds, tell me about today and what it

:46:00. > :46:03.means to you. I'm doing it for the 10th time and it will be fun.

:46:03. > :46:09.have a gang to support you on the way round, what is it like having

:46:09. > :46:14.them? Amazing, more runners than ever. Who are you raising money for

:46:14. > :46:18.in particular at the moment? Francis House. You have raised �5

:46:18. > :46:24.million for them in the past. Congratulations. Mike Sweeney is

:46:24. > :46:31.here. We always have a chat at this time. I recognise you every year

:46:31. > :46:38.now. More special every year. A Yes. This year is the biggest ever. For

:46:38. > :46:43.your organisation is better than ever. -- the organisation. It is an

:46:43. > :46:48.amazing event for the City of Manchester. It puts us in a really

:46:48. > :46:53.good light. To have this kind of camaraderie for the Kirsty appeal.

:46:53. > :46:57.She is amazing. She's an amazing human being. When you look at what

:46:57. > :47:03.she was given, five weeks to live when she was three years old, she

:47:03. > :47:07.is now 16. And with a very special wheelchair with a tax disc! We know

:47:07. > :47:11.her well from the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games with

:47:11. > :47:16.David Beckham. She has been an inspiration to people since then.

:47:17. > :47:21.You can do it around the world. I spoke to people about her outside

:47:21. > :47:26.the UK and as soon as you match and a girl with David Beckham, they

:47:26. > :47:31.know straight away. The associate her with so many things. She is an

:47:31. > :47:36.inspiration. Having raised money for the Francis House Hospice, 5

:47:36. > :47:39.million initially, now an extra 2 million for an extension. If that

:47:39. > :47:46.is what we are doing. I think we will do it. I've no doubt we will

:47:46. > :47:56.get the extra 2 million. Fantastic. Time for a bit of action. It is! We

:47:56. > :48:06.

:48:06. > :48:11.will them around the course. I will Good to see Kirsty again. She

:48:11. > :48:21.really has been an inspiration. She has raised a massive amount of

:48:21. > :48:25.

:48:25. > :48:29.money through the Kirsty appeal. You would be forgiven for thinking

:48:29. > :48:32.for crowds we are looking at now were the runners, but they are not,

:48:33. > :48:39.they are waiting for their loved ones to cross over the finish line

:48:40. > :48:43.and go through the finish area. It is so well-organised. I think

:48:43. > :48:53.there's a quarter of a million people who have gone over the

:48:53. > :48:56.

:48:56. > :49:00.finish line ever since the start of A quarter of a million people over

:49:00. > :49:10.the finish line, I guess you could be forgiven for asking, Where Are

:49:10. > :49:22.

:49:22. > :49:25.Into a horrors began to emerge from Yugoslavia. Kosovo was a forlorn

:49:25. > :49:31.place and the girls had witnessed a family massacre, but they rebuilt

:49:31. > :49:37.their lives after in evacuation to Manchester. They build a peace park

:49:37. > :49:42.in their homeland. They had been left for dead after the attack in

:49:42. > :49:46.July 1999, but they were central to the founding of Manchester aid for

:49:46. > :49:52.Kosovo, raising thousands of fairly refugees and making Fir Park for

:49:52. > :49:58.peace the reality. Out of tragedy, such remarkable inspiration and

:49:58. > :50:01.hope for Kosovo's young generation. Clare was living with the liver

:50:01. > :50:06.disorder when at a routine check-up she was told her condition had

:50:06. > :50:12.worsened. I just knew that I was going to be put on to the

:50:12. > :50:17.transplant list. It was devastating. It was a massive shock. I was only

:50:17. > :50:21.32. Undeterred, she trade for the runt with Murphy the dog and was

:50:21. > :50:27.set to take part in 2010 when on the morning of the race she was

:50:27. > :50:31.called into a hospital for transplant surgery.

:50:31. > :50:35.And the transplant was a huge success because Clare has alongside

:50:35. > :50:42.me. You're looking so well. How are you feeling? Absolutely brilliant,

:50:42. > :50:48.better than I have felt in a long time. Really, really good. Having

:50:48. > :50:52.not been able to run in 2010 for very good reasons, you came and ran

:50:52. > :50:58.last year, but you feel better this year? Yes, I ran last year because

:50:58. > :51:03.I felt it was important. It was really hard work. But I still

:51:03. > :51:07.finished it. This year I have done a lot of training, I could not have

:51:07. > :51:12.done any more, I feel so much better. I have a lot of strength

:51:12. > :51:18.and energy and I can't wait. sure it will be fantastic. We've

:51:18. > :51:24.just revisited your story as well. How have things gone in your

:51:24. > :51:30.homeland? Really well. The park is almost finished. Now it has become

:51:30. > :51:35.an annual think where we have the Manchester peace park run, which is

:51:35. > :51:45.organised every year in the park. It is also great to have two of the

:51:45. > :51:50.leading Kosovo and athletes who have been invited to take part in

:51:50. > :51:57.the run here. It has been sponsored by the Kosovo Federation. It is

:51:57. > :52:04.amazing how things have developed since when we started running.

:52:04. > :52:10.will be taking part yourself. What do enjoy about the occasion most?

:52:10. > :52:18.For a whole atmosphere. -- the whole atmosphere. Different people

:52:18. > :52:24.supporting different charities. It is seeing everybody, it is such a

:52:24. > :52:29.happy event. It has such a huge influence on a lot of people's

:52:29. > :52:33.lives and it has in my life. It is amazing to be able to take part in

:52:33. > :52:37.it. Great to see you coming back time after time. Congratulations on

:52:37. > :52:43.your you've achieved so far and your you've achieved so far and

:52:43. > :52:48.keep it going! -- or you've achieved. The runners are still

:52:48. > :52:54.streaming along. They will be going for a few hours yet. Going at a

:52:54. > :52:57.very moderate pace. Going back a couple of days, Friday evening at

:52:57. > :53:01.RNAS Culdrose, David Beckham lighting the cauldron having

:53:01. > :53:04.brought the flame over from Athens. The remarkable thing was it was

:53:04. > :53:10.chucking it down increase and the weather in Cornwall was quite

:53:10. > :53:14.pleasant. -- in Greece. At Land's End, Ben Ainslie, the first torch-

:53:14. > :53:20.bearer, quite amazing scenes. You can see me on the right with a

:53:20. > :53:26.camera taking a picture! But the countdown to 2012 is very much on.

:53:26. > :53:31.Brendan Foster has joined be. A great distance runner in your time.

:53:31. > :53:37.Great excitement about the distance races in London 2012. Let's start

:53:37. > :53:40.with Gebrselassie. We might see him with Gebrselassie. We might see him

:53:40. > :53:45.in London. He was watching the TV yesterday and he was getting pretty

:53:45. > :53:50.excited about the torch relay. And today the torch relay tells us the

:53:50. > :53:54.Olympics is coming. Today his performance tells me the greatest

:53:54. > :53:59.distance runner of all time might actually be appearing. He did not

:53:59. > :54:03.get selected for the marathon for Ethiopia because some men came

:54:03. > :54:07.around faster. He has gone back to do some hard training and he

:54:07. > :54:12.surprised me today. I thought he had some competitors who were

:54:12. > :54:17.younger and faster and I thought we might see the last serious

:54:17. > :54:21.performance from him. Even in some of the interviews he's done, you

:54:21. > :54:25.almost sense and uncertainty as to what his next. You do. But he is a

:54:25. > :54:31.competitor. He's been such a great athlete and people think he is just

:54:31. > :54:35.a natural runner, he is but he is also a fierce competitor. Witness

:54:35. > :54:39.Sydney 2000 when he won one of the great races. He is talking about

:54:39. > :54:45.getting old and what he will do next and he has all kinds of plants

:54:45. > :54:49.and thoughts, but I said to him yesterday, if you finish in the

:54:49. > :54:53.first three in the 10,000 metres next week, will you run in the

:54:53. > :54:57.Olympics? He said, they could not keep me away. I did not think he

:54:57. > :55:00.was as good as he was, and he has not, but I wondered if he would be

:55:00. > :55:04.good enough again to but on the track. I've seen today a

:55:04. > :55:08.performance, because the athletes behind him were world class. Some

:55:08. > :55:14.of them are already going to the Olympics. The world record holder

:55:14. > :55:20.for the marathon, he left him in his wake. Kebede. Abshero, the

:55:20. > :55:29.young upstart, who not Gebrselassie off the marathon team, and suddenly

:55:29. > :55:32.the man reminds us he is a great run and a great competitor. How are

:55:32. > :55:36.we to scissors -- assess where Bekele is at the moment? He has

:55:36. > :55:40.been up and down. He is not done a great place. We saw him run a few

:55:40. > :55:44.weeks ago in Dublin on the roads. I thought he was coming back to his

:55:44. > :55:48.best form. He has run a couple of track races since, and he is

:55:48. > :55:52.running better than he was last year, but he is not back to where

:55:52. > :55:56.he was. The great news coming out of America is that Mo Farah ran a

:55:56. > :56:02.1,500 metres and then a 5,000 metres within an hour. World-class

:56:02. > :56:10.times in both events. For me, the men's 10,000 metres in the Olympic

:56:10. > :56:15.Games will be a great one. Haile Gebrselassie thrown in for good

:56:15. > :56:24.measure, it would be great. Can you imagine 400 metres to go with all

:56:24. > :56:27.three of them? You could hardly contain yourself. You might have

:56:27. > :56:33.Gebrselassie looking from a distance. I think his days on the

:56:33. > :56:37.track are over. Ken and Lisa is not as good as he was. But he may come

:56:37. > :56:42.back in a few weeks. It just means the Olympic torches burning,

:56:42. > :56:46.everyone is getting excited, the athletes are getting excited, and

:56:46. > :56:53.the winter training is coming on. That is what I love about the

:56:53. > :56:56.Olympics. The important thing for Mo Farah is it will have boosted

:56:56. > :57:00.his confidence after a disappointing indoor season.

:57:00. > :57:05.Conference in distance running is 80% of it. Physical fitness,

:57:05. > :57:12.they're all physically fit, but the guy who thinks he can do it, can do

:57:12. > :57:16.it. That is where Bekele, double champion from Beijing, world record

:57:16. > :57:20.holder, we know that if he is in full form, he will be almost

:57:20. > :57:24.unstoppable. But he may not be in full form. One other athlete who

:57:24. > :57:28.has a lot of proof is Paula Radcliffe. Talk about confidence.

:57:28. > :57:33.Her most recent performance was not what she would have wanted in

:57:33. > :57:37.Vienna. She is coming to the end of her career. I haven't seen the

:57:37. > :57:42.evidence from Paula that I have just seen from Gebrselassie. She

:57:42. > :57:47.ran a good race in Berlin last autumn. She was -- it was fantastic

:57:47. > :57:50.to see her selected. Five Olympics for a distance runner is a

:57:50. > :57:54.remarkable achievement and she has been the best in the world at times.

:57:54. > :58:00.She is probably not the best in the world any more, but you know you

:58:00. > :58:07.will always get a story. certainly do. Is a medal out of the

:58:07. > :58:16.question? It is difficult to see her beating Mary. Could she sneak a

:58:16. > :58:20.medal? If I was a betting man, which I am,... I would take a long

:58:20. > :58:24.price on an each-way bet. But I would love to see it, it would be

:58:24. > :58:27.fantastic. She has been a great runner, a world record holder for

:58:27. > :58:33.the marathon, the marathon record hasn't been approached in recent

:58:33. > :58:40.times. The British public will be on her side. Hopefully if she is

:58:40. > :58:44.fit, she runs well. At the end of the day, for her to come to an

:58:44. > :58:50.Olympics funds gave it is quite important. Her last two Olympics

:58:50. > :58:55.have been torture. -- unscathed. She needs a decent performance.

:58:55. > :59:01.Achilles to a medal, we will be jumping up and down. She is a great

:59:01. > :59:05.champion and you can only hope London brings out the best.

:59:05. > :59:10.Gebrselassie is a great champion, and a great competitor. Paula was a

:59:10. > :59:14.great champion, world champion, world record holder. They have been

:59:14. > :59:21.a tonic for the sport. When Gebrselassie goes, we were never

:59:21. > :59:24.see his like again because he is a charming, charismatic man. Paul has

:59:24. > :59:29.had the same effect on women's distance running in this country

:59:29. > :59:38.and around the world. At the end of 2012, if the curtain goes down on

:59:38. > :59:42.those two, the sport will be poorer. Marah might end up being our best

:59:42. > :59:46.marathon runner -- Yamauchi. thought it was a very good

:59:46. > :59:52.performance. She hadn't run for a long time, she looks fit. A good

:59:52. > :59:57.time for her. Her preparation is meticulous. You know when she comes

:59:57. > :00:02.across the line and smiles, she is happy. You know that means she is

:00:02. > :00:06.on the right track, on target. I think the Olympic name -- games

:00:06. > :00:10.women's distance runners this year will be exciting. We have a few

:00:10. > :00:16.weeks to go, the trials will be good. I can't wait to sit in that

:00:16. > :00:20.stadium. We should mention Jo Pavey running a 'A' standard on the track

:00:20. > :00:26.for the Commonwealth Games. getting excited 8 at Charlotte

:00:26. > :00:30.Purdue as well. I think she will be it in the Olympic team for the

:00:30. > :00:34.10,000 metres. She is a young up- and- coming athlete. She first got

:00:34. > :00:38.involved in athletics 10 years ago when she watched Paula Radcliffe

:00:38. > :00:42.running in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She went up to the

:00:42. > :00:45.athletic club the next day and she started training. I think 10 years

:00:45. > :00:50.later young Charlotte Purdue will have a great future. I think we

:00:50. > :00:55.will see her running in the against Linet Masai. For she has to

:00:55. > :01:05.have a chance of a medal, even a gold medal. It is building up

:01:05. > :01:09.

:01:09. > :01:19.nicely. The great thing is, we have We are going to get back out to the

:01:19. > :01:22.

:01:22. > :01:28.really exciting summer ahead of us. We cannot wait for the Olympics and

:01:28. > :01:35.some of those stories took unfurled. Today has been about all the other

:01:35. > :01:42.stories as well. There is Chris, struggling abate. It all comes

:01:42. > :01:52.fairly easily to him, he has done so many over the years. He has got

:01:52. > :02:00.a regular smile. Just a quick word, Steve, about one of the things they

:02:00. > :02:04.were talking about. The warm-up track for the Commonwealth Games in

:02:04. > :02:09.2002 is now a big track in this area. There is a big event

:02:09. > :02:13.happening on Tuesday. The Paralympic World Cup is coming to

:02:13. > :02:17.Manchester once again and the athletics is taking place on

:02:17. > :02:23.Tuesday with a lot of Paralympic champions and world record holders

:02:23. > :02:28.on display. It is certainly worth going to watch. There are two of

:02:28. > :02:38.the best distance runners in the world and the best here today in

:02:38. > :02:46.

:02:46. > :02:53.scrolled across the screen and we are watching a few of the many

:02:53. > :03:01.thousands here today heading towards the finish line. We were

:03:01. > :03:05.there at the track last night and there was a good performance here

:03:05. > :03:11.in Manchester from Joe paid eight. So many people are trying to make

:03:11. > :03:15.the team and she was not selected for the marathon. She was in the

:03:15. > :03:24.5000 kilometres last night, so Manchester has been at the centre

:03:24. > :03:34.of things in athletics this weekend. There was also young Ross Murray

:03:34. > :03:39.and we are hoping we can produce some new, British stars. There was

:03:39. > :03:45.a big 1500 metres from him last night. All of that will be unfurled

:03:46. > :03:50.across the summer. The Olympic trials will be on the BBC on June

:03:50. > :03:56.23rd and June 24th when they will be tested. It will be almost the

:03:56. > :04:00.last chance to make the Olympic team. It is the same with everybody

:04:00. > :04:08.here today who have banned their training and their planning.

:04:08. > :04:14.Athletes know that will be their big weekend. We will be seeing

:04:14. > :04:20.quite a few of those athletes on show this afternoon in Deansgate. I

:04:20. > :04:26.am looking forward to that. Yes, we certainly are, as well as the pole

:04:26. > :04:32.vault. If you have been watching, you will have seen it being set up

:04:32. > :04:40.in front of the town hall. Some great events featuring a Olympic

:04:40. > :04:50.champions and world champions. It all starts in Deansgate at 2:55pm.

:04:50. > :04:54.There is the men's 150 metres and it kicks off the Powerade

:04:54. > :04:59.Manchester City games, 2012. That looks even more spectacular, but

:04:59. > :05:04.when you get some of the best pole vaulters in the world's led by

:05:04. > :05:10.Holly Bleasdale who won a bronze indoor medal recently in Istanbul.

:05:10. > :05:14.She will be one of the favourites this afternoon. Hopefully a lot of

:05:14. > :05:20.spectators outside the town hall surrounding that area. They have

:05:20. > :05:25.never seen anything like it before in Manchester for sure. And down on

:05:25. > :05:31.Deansgate. That is right in front of the town hall and Manchester has

:05:31. > :05:36.been taken over by this event. We have mentioned so many charity

:05:36. > :05:41.runners taking part, and there is a charity village not far from where

:05:41. > :05:51.we are sitting at the moment. Lots of people waiting for all those out

:05:51. > :05:52.

:05:52. > :05:57.there who are running for a great I am really excited about tomorrow,

:05:57. > :06:03.it is lovely to meet amazing people who go the extra mile to raise

:06:03. > :06:09.money for our charity. We are just setting up our stall. We have got

:06:09. > :06:14.big, branded panels and I have been sticking Velcro at the top of the

:06:14. > :06:20.marquee. We have to load in all of the treats for the runners and we

:06:20. > :06:25.have got banners to put up. We will be blowing up about 200 balloons.

:06:25. > :06:29.We are loading lots of things in and we are making it look pretty

:06:29. > :06:33.when they come back tomorrow. Everyone is putting in a lot of

:06:33. > :06:39.effort for tomorrow. This is one of the biggest events in our calendar

:06:39. > :06:44.and it is a great weekend. I will be here attending to the runners

:06:44. > :06:49.when they come back and we will make a big fuss of them. I want to

:06:49. > :06:59.wish all the runners good luck and we look forward to seeing you

:06:59. > :07:10.

:07:10. > :07:14.half-a-mile from Manchester city centre where we saw the charity

:07:14. > :07:18.villages, that is where we will all be heading this afternoon and that

:07:18. > :07:24.street will be packed with spectators. It is almost a unique

:07:24. > :07:29.event, bringing top-class world athletes from the track right into

:07:29. > :07:39.the city centre. That is 200 metres long. Let's have a little look at

:07:39. > :07:39.

:07:39. > :08:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 143 seconds

:08:55. > :09:02.what we can look forward to this Malcolm happen to be standing

:09:02. > :09:10.alongside me here. Welcome, and Mr Jackson back from the Champions

:09:10. > :09:16.Marlon, you have had great performances here, and it is a

:09:16. > :09:22.super concept that has taken off. It is a great concept and what I

:09:22. > :09:26.like about it is everyone can come onto the street and it is easy. In

:09:26. > :09:34.the stadium you can get close to the crowd and you can see how quick

:09:35. > :09:39.they are running. It is a good concept and I'm all for it.

:09:39. > :09:44.have probably seen the shots of the Olympic flame a riding, how does

:09:44. > :09:50.that make you feel in an Olympic year? It is on our doorstep, it is

:09:51. > :09:56.around the corner. I am definitely feeling they have five, the

:09:56. > :10:04.athletes are all excited about it. I am looking forward to competing

:10:04. > :10:09.today and doing my best. You ran a very good 150 here three years ago

:10:09. > :10:16.with a certain Usain Bolt. It was a bit wet. You had a good race

:10:16. > :10:21.yourself. Yes, I ran really well. It was a good start for me. I was

:10:21. > :10:26.interested to get involved. You can see him moving ahead. I think I

:10:26. > :10:31.came second in the end. I have moved on since then. Hopefully I

:10:31. > :10:37.can continue and run a bit quicker today. Are you happy with where you

:10:37. > :10:43.are at at this time a beer? Yes, I was training in Arizona this year

:10:43. > :10:47.and I had seven weeks out there and it went very well. Yes, I have been

:10:47. > :10:53.healthy this year, not like last year. Hopefully with extra training

:10:53. > :10:57.it has put me in good stead. interesting person in the race, we

:10:57. > :11:02.have to talk about it, Dwain Chambers. You have run with him

:11:02. > :11:08.many times, how are you feeling about that? I am completely fine

:11:08. > :11:13.with it to be honest. The rule had to be one way or the other a. You

:11:13. > :11:17.could not have a bylaw just in the UK, it confuses matters. He is

:11:17. > :11:23.running, so that is the role and I am going to get on with it and

:11:23. > :11:30.compete with them. I am coming to you, Christian. How many times have

:11:30. > :11:36.you run the Games now? Once in Manchester and twice in Newcastle.

:11:36. > :11:44.How do you find it? I enjoyed it, the concept is amazing, it brings

:11:44. > :11:48.that fun element to athletics, which is needed. In terms of you

:11:48. > :11:55.and your preparation, how important is it to run well later on today?

:11:55. > :12:01.It is very important. This is a big year, this is our hope Olympics.

:12:01. > :12:05.Having the opportunity to go to the Home Olympics is a definite once-

:12:05. > :12:11.in-a-lifetime opportunity. Today is very important, it is my first big

:12:11. > :12:16.run of the year. It must have got the juices going looking back Ben

:12:16. > :12:21.Ainslie, our first torch-bearer at Land's End. It must have got the

:12:22. > :12:27.juices going. Definitely. We have been away for eight weeks training

:12:27. > :12:31.in Arizona and to come home, knowing that the Olympic torch is

:12:31. > :12:36.here now and everybody is talking about it. You get questions from

:12:36. > :12:43.family and friends, but now it is everyone, everywhere you go and you

:12:43. > :12:47.cannot hide from it. Obviously, Dwain Chambers is running this

:12:47. > :12:52.afternoon and you are a great friend of his and a great supporter.

:12:52. > :12:58.Are you pleased to see him get his chance to potentially run in London

:12:58. > :13:08.28 well? Yes, I am happy for him. The ruling had to be one way or the

:13:08. > :13:12.other. Hopefully, the powers maybe well put on the pressure. I think

:13:12. > :13:17.two years is a bit lenient, but for Dwain Chambers I am happy for him.

:13:17. > :13:22.In terms of the British team as a whole, there is a sense there is a

:13:22. > :13:29.real confidence in UK Athletics going into the Olympic Games.

:13:29. > :13:34.has to be. From the moment we got the Olympic Games, the home nation

:13:34. > :13:39.seems to do well, and the youngsters seem to be delivering

:13:39. > :13:43.and the older guys are hanging on in there! It is a once-in-a-

:13:43. > :13:51.lifetime opportunity for everyone and everyone is going to do their

:13:51. > :13:55.best to get there. It is an interesting point you make, you and

:13:55. > :14:00.smile on an star Wayne are a little bit older. Is their concern about

:14:00. > :14:06.the next generation coming through? I would not say so. There is talent

:14:06. > :14:09.there and they need a little bit of guidance. Some have been

:14:09. > :14:14.unfortunate with Nicholls and injuries, but you need something

:14:14. > :14:22.like a home games to wake things up. They are taking our Mansell, I

:14:22. > :14:27.guess. If not this year, hopefully next year. Colin, let me come to.

:14:27. > :14:34.This afternoon is a good line up and that extra tension because it

:14:34. > :14:38.is an Olympic year. And it also allows our domestic athletes to see

:14:38. > :14:42.exactly where they are at this time of the year. It is a concession

:14:42. > :14:47.time, they are just leaving their winter work and they are getting

:14:47. > :14:51.into their summer work, but they are practising in a highly

:14:51. > :14:58.pressured situation, which is exactly what it will be like at the

:14:59. > :15:04.Olympic Games. I and nervous for you, I can tell you. There is the

:15:04. > :15:10.110 metres hurdles. There is Andy Turner. It will be fascinating to

:15:10. > :15:16.see how he goes. Yes, absolutely, he knows he is under pressure,

:15:16. > :15:22.being Britain's number one. Unfortunately for him he has had an

:15:22. > :15:29.Achilles problem. You know exactly what it is like to return from an

:15:29. > :15:34.Achilles injury, it is difficult to do that. But he is a European and a

:15:34. > :15:38.Commonwealth champion and he is all that for a reason. In terms of

:15:38. > :15:45.world class resin, perhaps the women's hurdles with Dawn Harper

:15:45. > :15:53.and stares at Ennis. A pick of the racers? I am really interested to

:15:53. > :16:01.see who comes out at the top. There are lots of swings and roundabouts

:16:01. > :16:06.and we could not call her at number one is, if I was to be honest.

:16:06. > :16:16.Brigitte Foster ran a fast race at the age of 37 and that is how

:16:16. > :16:19.

:16:19. > :16:22.It is one of her strongest events, the hurdles. She is a classy

:16:22. > :16:31.hurdler and she has to make sure she is accurate in every step she

:16:31. > :16:39.takes. 3:30pm on BBC Two this afternoon. Good luck to you both. I

:16:40. > :16:47.hope it goes really well, let's get Really looking forward to that. The

:16:47. > :16:52.weather is set fair. It has held very nicely for all of those boats

:16:52. > :16:56.watching and for all of those taking part as well. It has been a

:16:56. > :17:01.bit of a slog around the 10 kilometres. One man who has gone

:17:01. > :17:05.all of about 400 yards from the all of about 400 yards from the

:17:05. > :17:11.start, where Haile Gebrselassie has, Phil Jones.

:17:11. > :17:15.A familiar face for London, the Great North. You have done many of

:17:15. > :17:19.these races for fabulous causes and you have gone through trials and

:17:19. > :17:24.tribulations. This time last year I was not able to do it, I was

:17:24. > :17:30.finishing treatment for my third lot of cancer. But that is all over

:17:30. > :17:35.and done with. A great team today. People from work, my brother, 100

:17:35. > :17:41.people. Next week I get to carry the Olympic torch in Cardiff. The

:17:41. > :17:45.week after that, I get to like one of the last beacons up scar fell

:17:45. > :17:51.for the Queen's Jubilee. It is turning up a good time -- turning

:17:51. > :17:57.into a good time. Later in the year I will do 500 kilometres across the

:17:57. > :18:02.polar ice cap, the desert, the Himalayas, 10 10ks in the UK,

:18:02. > :18:12.keeping busy. It is always great to see you here, congratulations.

:18:12. > :18:22.

:18:22. > :18:28.Haile Gebrselassie patiently and very kindly giving up the time at

:18:28. > :18:36.the start. He has done his running today. A good few 1,000 have yet to

:18:36. > :18:40.embark on their 10k effort this morning.

:18:40. > :18:46.I have gone Nell McAndrew and her mum, Nancy. Another good run for

:18:46. > :18:52.you. Fantastic. I made sure the clock was still on 36 minutes, so

:18:52. > :18:56.there was a PB. I just love it, a brilliant atmosphere. We have been

:18:56. > :19:02.cheering a few people on. My mum did amazing, a good day all round.

:19:02. > :19:07.How did you do? I'm not sure! I have no idea. I think about an hour

:19:07. > :19:17.but I'm not sure. But I enjoyed it. You must have some good running

:19:17. > :19:17.

:19:17. > :19:21.genes in you. No. No, hard work. genes in you. No. No, hard work.

:19:21. > :19:26.But a fantastic day. It is amazing, fantastic. A lot of good support,

:19:26. > :19:33.you can't move on the streets. Really good, enjoyable. And a nice

:19:33. > :19:36.atmosphere. How excited are you about 2012 coming up? We have just

:19:36. > :19:41.seen the Olympic torch arrive and the really begin. It is fantastic.

:19:41. > :19:47.It is brilliant. I am really excited for kids who will watch the

:19:47. > :19:50.Olympics on TV or if they are lucky enough to go. And be inspired by

:19:50. > :19:56.the athletes because the Earth -- I think they are fantastic role

:19:56. > :20:00.models. I would like my son to look up to them. And to think, I want to

:20:00. > :20:06.be like that. Just to give them the inspiration to take up the sport as

:20:06. > :20:09.a hobby or just something to do in their spare time. This is one of

:20:09. > :20:14.the exciting things about this event, that came from the

:20:14. > :20:19.Commonwealth Games in 2002. Yeah, it is really good. The kids did

:20:19. > :20:23.their run yesterday at the stadium. I met a man dressed as a hot dog

:20:23. > :20:31.and he said he ran with his son yesterday. It was his son's idea

:20:31. > :20:39.that he dressed as a hot dog. Today he has run the 10k. The atmosphere

:20:39. > :20:44.is brilliant move. 40,000 people turning out proves it. A lovely

:20:44. > :20:49.family event. Fantastic. It is never too late to take up running.

:20:49. > :20:59.It is for everybody to get involved in. Thank you and well done to both

:20:59. > :20:59.

:20:59. > :21:06.of you. We can get back onto the All so many fantastic actors doing

:21:06. > :21:09.great things, including Kieron Griffiths. How was it? Tough, but I

:21:10. > :21:14.was doing it for the Christie. My dad had cancer a few years ago and

:21:14. > :21:17.they really looked after him. And my mate's Mum was diagnosed with

:21:17. > :21:21.breast cancer and she went through a lot of treatment and they looked

:21:21. > :21:27.after as well. She is on the mend. Just to say thank you to everyone

:21:27. > :21:31.there. And all of the other charities. So many of you doing it

:21:31. > :21:36.for the Christie. That's right. Everybody knows somebody affected

:21:36. > :21:40.by cancer. It is close to a lot of people's hearts. The support was

:21:40. > :21:44.fantastic. You would not have been able to do it without people, when

:21:44. > :21:54.you're flagging they give you a bruised. Thank you to everyone who

:21:54. > :21:57.

:21:57. > :22:02.turned up. Thank you for doing it. I was discussing with Colin Jackson

:22:02. > :22:07.Jessica Ennis running the 100 metre hurdles. She has been also been

:22:07. > :22:12.that she has also been at the start. Official starting duties for you.

:22:12. > :22:16.But the focus this afternoon is on the great City Games. Yes, doing

:22:16. > :22:22.the 100 metres hurdles. Looking forward to being in a high-quality

:22:22. > :22:26.race. Olympic champion as well and also Danielle Carruthers, who you

:22:26. > :22:30.beat indoors. Not an easy start to the season. But it is a great

:22:30. > :22:33.opportunity for me. I don't get many opportunities to run in a

:22:33. > :22:39.world class field like that. It will be a tough race, I'm not

:22:39. > :22:43.expecting to win. In a week's time, the first big heptathlon of the

:22:43. > :22:48.year, how are you feeling? Nervous, but I'm looking forward to it. My

:22:48. > :22:53.training has gone well, I'm happy to be hit today and sharpening up

:22:53. > :22:57.by the hurdles. 2012 gets ever closer, how did you feel when you

:22:57. > :23:02.saw Ben Ainslie running the first leg of the torch relay? It makes it

:23:02. > :23:06.very real. It has come to life now. It gives you goose bumps and we are

:23:06. > :23:10.just really excited. It will fly by and before we know it, we will be

:23:11. > :23:17.in the stadium. Good luck for next weekend and for today, and for

:23:17. > :23:22.starting this race. Thank you. There's Albert Square, the women's

:23:22. > :23:28.pole vault will be taking on later, the first time they've had a field

:23:28. > :23:35.event at the Great City Games. Holly Bleasdale will be jumping.

:23:35. > :23:38.She has joined us up here. Have you jumped on one of these before?

:23:38. > :23:42.I did the Newcastle won last year and one in Trafalgar Square. They

:23:42. > :23:46.are really ready great. I'm really excited to get out there and

:23:46. > :23:52.compete. Is it different from jumping in a regular stadium? How

:23:52. > :23:56.good a preparation is this? It is really good. In the stadium, the

:23:56. > :24:02.spectators are so far away and here they are a few metres away. It is

:24:02. > :24:05.good preparation to block them out and try to focus. It is like a big

:24:05. > :24:10.family down there and it makes you feel better. You're one of the few

:24:10. > :24:14.athletes at the top level competing -- he has competed at it Olympic

:24:14. > :24:19.Stadium, how was it? I found the competition really good. I did not

:24:19. > :24:23.have the best preparation, but the track was amazing, really quick.

:24:23. > :24:28.The stadium is massive and with 40,000 people inside, there was an

:24:28. > :24:33.amazing noise. When there are 80,000 there, it will be fantastic.

:24:33. > :24:38.I can't wait. You had an amazing indoor season, jumped one of the

:24:38. > :24:43.highest jumped indoors. More pressure on you now. Yes, I do feel

:24:43. > :24:48.the pressure. People want to know what I'm doing. But I am embracing

:24:48. > :24:51.it and using it to my advantage. When I go to compete, the pressure

:24:51. > :24:56.always makes me step up. The Olympics is the prime example, I

:24:56. > :25:00.want to step up and compete better than ever. Your world indoor

:25:00. > :25:07.performance must have given you a lot of confidence. Your first medal

:25:07. > :25:10.at a major global championships. Yes, it was really great experience.

:25:10. > :25:15.It is the experience I need because I've only really competed at junior

:25:15. > :25:23.level and getting a bronze was a great confidence boost. Now I feel

:25:23. > :25:28.really confident. Last year I would have been a bit star-struck, but

:25:28. > :25:33.now I get on with it and try to do the best I can. By after Manchester,

:25:33. > :25:38.what is the build-up like until 2012. I have got Prix Fonteyn

:25:39. > :25:43.meeting in a couple of weeks, and then straight into the trials. That

:25:43. > :25:48.is where I want to start my preparation for the Olympics. I

:25:48. > :25:53.want to go in their nice and fresh and be at my best. For Holly to

:25:53. > :25:59.have broken through in Olympic year is almost the perfect timing.

:25:59. > :26:03.Absolutely superb timing. I was saying to her off-camera that I was

:26:03. > :26:06.in Germany yesterday, in the indoor centre, and there were so many pole

:26:06. > :26:12.vaulters practising and they were talking about Holly Bleasdale and

:26:12. > :26:18.wishing they had her in their team. I am really pleased. You're being

:26:18. > :26:25.spoken about with potential, does it add more pressure? It does add a

:26:25. > :26:31.bit more pressure. I still think I am young and have a lot to learn.

:26:31. > :26:34.But when I'm training, I just want to get the medals and get

:26:34. > :26:37.experience. Good luck for later experience. Good luck for later

:26:37. > :26:42.this afternoon. Let's go back to the commentators. They can bring us

:26:42. > :26:48.up to date. Looking forward to seeing Holly

:26:48. > :26:51.this afternoon, but it has been all about the 10k this morning. 40,000

:26:51. > :26:56.people who have waited patiently for their turn to following the

:26:56. > :27:01.footsteps of the great Haile Gebrselassie, perhaps the greatest.

:27:02. > :27:06.He has won this five times now, today was his second fastest and is

:27:06. > :27:11.that a moment for him? Will there be one last hurrah at the Olympic

:27:11. > :27:15.Games for him? A big confidence booster for him. He will take his

:27:15. > :27:21.10k win in Manchester into Hankelow next week. He will race on the

:27:21. > :27:25.track and you never know. You just never know. He enjoyed his wind and

:27:25. > :27:32.the crowds were delighted to see him. We hope it is not the last

:27:32. > :27:37.time. If it is, thanks for everything, you were great. And

:27:37. > :27:41.Linet Masai at the other end of her career, the 22-year-old, world

:27:41. > :27:44.champion on the track two years ago, will be hoping she can win a gold

:27:44. > :27:54.medal in London this year. A confidence-boosting run for her.

:27:54. > :27:55.

:27:55. > :27:59.It is getting towards the end of It is getting towards the end of

:27:59. > :28:09.our coverage from Manchester. Plenty more sport this afternoon.

:28:09. > :28:20.

:28:20. > :28:24.That is it from the great Manchester Games. We will be back