20/05/2012 Athletics: Great Manchester Run

The Etihad Stadium, home to Premier League champions Manchester City,

and who could forget that five minutes of injury-time a week ago?

This year, this is run Number 10 of what has become the UK's favourite

Seeing hundreds of people making their way to the city centre, it is

magic. Over 10,000, a fantastic Townhead. It is great following on

To all the people taking part in the great Manchester run, good luck.

It is wicked, you know what I mean? They were pushing me all the way.

It is fantastic, I think half the city has turned out. From the

beginning it has grown and grown. Look at the atmosphere, look at the

As Alex Ferguson said, it has become a fantastic event, the

streets of Manchester full of runners. Good morning and welcome

to Manchester city centre and the great Manchester run. I hope you

sit back and enjoy the next couple of hours with us. The best runners

in the world will show us how it is done. He is always a favourite on

the streets of Manchester, but he has got his hands full with Patrick

Makau, the man who took his world record in the marathon. Keep your

eyes on these ladies. The great Manchester run celebrates the 10th

time it has been staged. Celebrations on the streets of

Manchester today, but also a few days ago because the city was

painted blue. After Manchester City's dramatic title when it last

Sunday, there were some super scenes indeed. Representing the red

and the blue of the City, we have got Joe Corrigan. Describe how you

felt last Sunday? Just unbelievable. We waited so long for Manchester

United -- Manchester City and I am just ecstatic for the fans. I am

really pleased. It has come to a new beginning for the Manchester

City supporters. How did you feel when it went into injury time and

you're two-to-one down? Here we go again, it was one of those strange

situations that only Manchester City can do. We have been there

before and we always seem to have ball at the final hurdle, but this

time things it shone on us and we want it. Disappointment for you,

but great to see the rivalry between the two clubs. I am

particularly pleased for the fans. The number of Manchester City fans

who came to say hello, not to gloat, but to say they waited such a long

time. We have been the powerhouse in this particular area. But it was

an unbelievable night. My wife said it was cruel that we had to go

through that, but who knows what it was? Maybe one refereeing decision,

whatever, but they have deserved it over these last few weeks. We may

be stutters a little bit and they took the advantage, but we will be

ready to have another go at them next year. I am sure you will. You

started the great Manchester run 10 years ago. Down at Deansgate they

asked me and there were 10,000 people and we thought that was

enormous. Look back there now. 40,000 people, it is magic. But it

is a great city, it is never afraid to dip its toe in the water. When

they do something, they do it correctly and I am very pleased

this is a big success. A you are doing the starting duties today

along with Joe, so I will let you We have also got a very competitive

wheelchair race. No David Weir or Shelly Woods. 2012 is taking

precedence for them. A great scene for the crowds as they lead the

able bodied athletes away. It should be very competitive. You can

see all the athletes, ready to get away. We have got some great

celebrities running as well. There is one celebrity and she could

almost be in the AA each race. We are on the top of the celebrity

buzz, the double-decker in the celebrity compound and you have got

a running partner today. My mother is running today as well, so she

will be going for a personal best this morning. The weather is great,

so hopefully it will go brilliant. Jonathan said you could almost be

running the elite race after that fantastic performance in the

marathon. I was very sensible and I did not run for a week after that.

I have slowly started picking it up again. I always feel fortunate to

be able to take part in events like the great Manchester ran and the

London Marathon because it is everybody of different levels

coming together. Lots of people who would not normally do much exercise,

it gives them that goal. It does not matter if you have exercised

before, I get into running, you can get faster, it is never too late.

final word from your mum. How proud are you of your daughter? Really

proud, excellent, especially with her not being a professional runner.

That highlights how much work and effort went into it. You cannot run

a marathon without putting all the work and effort into it. Yes, but

if you are not doing it as a profession, it was amazing.

really is amazing, keep it going and enjoy today. We are running for

cancer UK, so hopefully there will be a few more people supporting the

charity. Hopefully it will not rain. Hopefully it will not train indeed.

It is perfect conditions for running. The elite women runners

are getting ready behind me. Mara Yamauchi is up against a couple of

young pretenders for Britain. will be my first race since

November, so I want to test out where I am as I prepare for the

Olympic marathon. I think I'm in top form at the minute, I am

improving all the time. The sky is the limit. This weekend I would

like to be the first Brit and I would love to run APB on the roads.

Anything is possible. I think it is great there are some younger

athletes coming through on the 10 kilometres and the marathon and

hopefully they will move up. We are all knocking on 40 and I think most

of us will be retiring reasonably soon. It would be a shame if once

we had retired, there was nothing. We have got experience, but having

the younger athletes snapping at your heels keeps you on your toes.

I can definitely learnt a lot from them. At St Mary's she is often

training in the altitude chamber and I can see how hard she is

training. So I do not think I have ever raised her before her. I have

raced against Paula in London and I got her autograph. She is the one I

have always looked up to and I was training with her as well, so that

was nice and it gave me a buzz to be running with a legend and be

alongside her. I guess it is inevitable that younger athletes

will look to people like myself or Pola as somebody they can learn

from, but equally I can learn from the younger athletes and I think I

will have a very good run on Sunday against some stiff opposition.

not like to see myself star-struck they anyone because they are

another runner at the end of the day and I want to beat them. I will

not say, oh, it is married Yamaichi, or at it is Paula, yes, I

definitely want to win. It is set to be a super race. The battle of

the Brits and they are pretty much all set to go. Time to hand over to

the expert voices of Paul Dickenson and Stephen gram.

Good morning, everybody. Conditions are pretty good here in Manchester

Linet Masai will start as the Let's go through a few

introductions on the start line. We heard Mara Yamauchi chatting about

the new contingent. Gemma still has had a very good 12 months. The

bronze medal at the European Championships, her first medal, and

she was to establish herself on the road and the track. This is the

Commonwealth marathon champion, it is good to see her here. The

Kenyans have so much talent. Charlotte will be looking for a

good run here and hoping she can move on to chasing the 10 kilometre

qualifying time on the track as well. Mara Yamauchi, and London

2012 will be all about the marathon, having been selected. This is a bit

of a sharpener for her here. This is the world champion from 2009,

Linet Masai from Kenya. A brilliant talent. Still just 22 years of age

despite the great successes she has already had. The eight women will

start before everyone else. That is so we can concentrate on their

particular race. A few others in the field will be looking for a

good performance. Conditions are pretty good this morning. It is 10

or 11 degrees. We had a bit of wet weather yesterday, but that has

disappeared. It is 11 degrees! They are pretty protected in the city by

the wind. They will not have to contend with it too much today.

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

the new part of town where BBC sport are now based. Then they head

back into the city and finish on Deansgate. We will welcome all

40,000 or so runners and in the afternoon we will have the great

city games as well. A whole gamut of athletic talent for you today in

Manchester. Just a little note as well, Mara Yamauchi in the film

beforehand was talking about Jo Pavey. Last night she ran an

Olympic a standard for five kilometres on the track. It was a

great performance for her. She has got her eyes on the 10 kilometres

spot and she now has the bonus of getting that standard on the five

kilometres. They will be having half an eye on the performance of

the two youngsters today. Good little bit chilly and overcast, but

that is good for some of the novice runners who will be starting their

quest in a little while. As the elite women get us away,

interesting to see two of the featured athletes you mentioned

before, Jerotich and Masai, the two experienced marathon runners from

Kenya, tucking in behind the leading group. Yamauchi leading.

The contrast of experience, a contrast of styles. Incerti wearing

the white vest, a European bronze medallist. Gemma Steel tucked in

behind. Yamauchi really is setting out at a bit of a pace. The long,

languid style of Masai and Jerotich behind, as we have a look back to

the masses. It is always a brilliant atmosphere with the mass

warm ups before the race. A lot of first-timers, a lot of inexperience

to run this year, but they will be treading in the same footsteps as

all of the great champions. That is why this weekend is so good. One or

two others to point out in that lead group. Right at the back, with

blond hair, Willis from Australia. She has qualified for the Olympic

marathon as well. Ejjafini, the athlete are just behind Yamauchi,

pulled out of the London Marathon. You might remember her running well

in the early stages, but she did not finish. She is looking to put

in a better performance today. It is interesting that Yamauchi set

out so quickly. She said she was raring to go, really looking

forward to racing. She probably would not have been that interested

in hanging around with plenty of quicker women behind her. She is

more interested in how fast she can run rather than her position, with

everything gearing towards London. And of course, I'm pretty sure the

others behind will be short -- pleased she has not decided to hang

around. The good pace being set in stretching the field out. When you

consider some of the British winners we've had in the past, Jo

Pavey twice, and Helen Clitheroe in 2011, you heard her say that it is

a daunting prospect to go up against the likes of Charlotte

Purdue and Gemma Steel. Great Britain really has, not an

embarrassment of riches, but a crop of good young athletes who aim to

replace the likes of Helen Clitheroe and Jo Pavey, and of

course Paula Radcliffe, in the top of women's distance running. But at

the moment, it is the old timer, Mara Yamauchi, stretching the field.

Still looking very comfortable at the front. It is obviously early

stages. We're trying to get to split. Let's go back to the

wheelchair race. We saw the wheelchair racers set of earlier

and Simon Lawson has done very well indeed. His previous best in the

Manchester 10 K was a fourth place two years ago. Since then he won in

Sunderland and he has been there since the start. Stuart Bloor gets

second place. These two men, as soon as the gun went, they went off

in the lead and Simon and young Stuart Bloor, in the absence of the

great man himself, David Weir, have taken major honours in Manchester.

A little bit uphill towards the finish, the last couple of hundred

metres you have to work really hard. That is one of Simon Lawson's best-

ever races in a long career. Well done to Stuart Bloor, 10th in the

Great North Run last year, fourth place in this race last year, and

this time it is his best ever result of second place and the

10 km in the early stages. Just a thought, picking up from what you

were saying about the new runners coming through... I mentioned Jo

Pavey, three women have run the five k a standard as welcome at

Steph Twell, Jane Park and Jo Pavey. Stef Twell may be up for the 10 K.

It is really interesting that quite a lot of athletes are running well

and are almost hedging their bets a bit as well. If you get any

standard, at least if you have that, even if you are not 100%, people

wanting to get qualification out of the way and give themselves some

options, which is good to see. A lot of British athletes running

very, very well even though we are still not yet through May. It

doesn't feel as if that summer has even begun, weather wise! But

athletes all over the world have been going well. This event in

Manchester today is part of the preparation for the summer. Just

off the back of that group now and beginning to struggle a little bit,

it looks like any to Willis of Australia. Seven athletes are

really forging ahead. Very long- striding Jerotich in the orange

vest, just behind Linet Masai, who looks so easy. Two Italians are

there as well, wearing white vests, Incerti and Ejjafini. Ejjafini is

formally Moroccan. And from Bahrain as well. That is Willis, she is for

five metres off the last market in the first group. Looking as though

she is struggling a little bit. The gap has grown to about 10 minutes

in the course of the last 250. -- 10 metres. Yamauchi is beginning...

Well, she is looking very strong and she said at the beginning of

the race that she wanted a test of speed and that is exactly what she

has forged out for herself. I was going to say, if that is the three

kilometres... If that yellow matting is the three kilometres,

that was nine: 30. That is pretty quick. It is not course record.

9.29. It is a good pace set by Myra Yamaichi, faster than the likes of

Gemma Steel and Gemma Steel -- Charlotte Purdue have overrun on

the road before. -- ever run. I would not think it would trouble

Masai too much. Changeiywo is still with that group as well. I don't

think Willis will be too bothered, her eyes on the marathon in the

summer. I keep saying in the summer! When it comes! Ejjafini

just helping with some pace duties. I have to say how well Gemma Steel

and Charlotte Purdue have conducted themselves. Charlotte has had her

fair share of injuries for a 20- year-old athlete. She has managed

to come through a couple of operations as well, she keeps

coming back stronger. Gemma Steel, a local girl from up the road.

Gemma has had a cracking 2012 so far, really pushed herself into the

upper echelons of distance running, particularly on the roads and

country. It is not exactly cricket whether! I keep having to rub my

eyes when I see a Test match going on in London. It doesn't feel warm

enough. Old Trafford cricket and Old Trafford football, not too far

away from each other. I'm going to hesitate to talk about football

today. Thankfully Brendan is not sitting alongside neat and gloating

about the season his team have had this year. Gloating honours belong

to the blue side of Manchester. All blue at the minute as well, Chelsea

last night. Certainly is. Charlotte Purdue on the right hand side, just

running behind Ejjafini of Italy. Alongside Incerti. She has already

run in the Olympic Stadium, a very successful British Universities

championships was tell there about a fortnight ago and she won the

5,000 metres. One of the first athletes to run on the Olympic

track. That was a great experience for all of those students. For the

first time in the race, Mara Yamauchi just giving way to first

place for the time being. The Italians are looking very fit at

the moment and stretching everybody away. They are heading towards,

dare I say it, for some people who wear red in Manchester, the theatre

of broken dreams as a result of what happened last week. Such an

exciting climax to the Premiership, but still the focus for many people

on Premiership football, not just in this country, but throughout the

world, but Man City got the best of them, just. It has been a great

year already for sport. A lot of drama in the football season and

I'm pretty sure a lot more to come in the summer in one or two -- and

one or two of the athletes here will be hoping to be part of that

in a big way. Ejjafini is starting to push things on a bed. The pace

has been very strong so far. Gemma Steel is suffering and has gone off

the back of that group. Yamauchi doing her best to stay with it. The

real injection of space -- a real injection of pace. Good to see

Charlotte Purdue, the one who looks most comfortable. Masai with that

lovely languid style of hers. Jerotich is the tall figure with

the red vest. Changeiywo alongside her. Yamauchi having to fight to

try to stick with the pace Ejjafini is now setting. So disappointed

with her performance, Ejjafini, in London. That is Gemma Steel. I said

they were operating in personal best territory for her. They have

picked things up a bit and a lot half-a-mile and that is why she has

started to struggle. She has to work hard now and concentrate. She

will have to really knuckle down here and try to concentrate. Not

easy when you're on your own. She will be disappointed to seek

Charlotte Purdue in that group. She is just checking her watch,

thinking that Charlotte is running quicker than she might have

expected. Good for Charlotte, but will she paid for that later? But

she looks nice and relaxed at the back to Linet Masai in a moment,

but there's Gemma Steel. She stayed with the group for three kilometres,

but they really are pushing on now. Gemma Steel is in no man's land at

the moment. We are down to six. The athlete I was just talking about,

Linet Masai, on the far side of that group, look at her stride. She

is so I eat -- easy. A relaxed running style. Looking absolutely

superb. She looks easy, doesn't she? And she can sprint as well.

Remember Berlin in 2009, the World Championships. She is very

deceptive, look how she has just drifted to the front. She hasn't

made much effort to do so, and she can do that, she can change pace

without you really realising. Just not sure whether Linet Masai will

be as big a threat in the summer, I hope she is, because she is a great

athlete. Things moving at pace already this year in terms of

people putting in fast times. All of a sudden,... They have just gone

through the five kilometres. 15.47. The course record was set six years

ago, 31.07. They are well off that in terms of the first half of the

race. Masai has completely decimated the field in the space of

about 400 metres. Nobody able to go with that change of pace. Those

long legs stretching out. Others left trailing behind her. They will

have a tough last five kilometres to try to work through the rest of

it. One or two operating at good pace, but they have got some work

to do now. Well, the masses are waiting, and waiting for the masses.

Jonathan is back at the start. Haile Gebrselassie just walk past

me, getting ready for that start of the men's race. Perhaps the last

time we will see him on British soil, getting close to the end of

his career. He spoke to Phil Jones the last three years, you have won

four in all, what are the chances of making it five this time?

not? I came here to do something. Every race is not easy. I will try

my best on Sunday. It is not going about your Olympic dream up for

London 2012 and obviously since then it has changed. It did not

work out. Has the reality sunk in for you now? Yes, I am sorry. It

was my wish to take part in these Olympics. I have been in the last

four Olympics, but this is my last chance. But it is not easy just to

come here, an athlete like me and only watch. What can I do? I put in

all my effort and finally it did not work. You did your best and you

inspired so many athletes over the years and now you have an abundance

of world-class talent that has been inspired by you. In sport you have

to accept their youngsters. It is a different engine, it is faster and

stronger and there is new technology. Human beings are the

same. But at least I am trying to upgrade myself. He is a great

character and he is always a very welcome face in Great Britain. He

is a big star of athletics around the world. It is great to see him

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

good names in there. Tsegaye Kebede, former winner of the London

great athletes to look forward to and they are always producing new

names. This athlete has been selected after that great run in

Dubai in January. The Ethiopians go with who ran the fastest and that

is why he is in the team and that is why this man is not in the team.

A lot of people think that could be a mistake. He did not run well

enough in this year's race to push himself in terms of the Ethiopian

selection. And neither will this man. Can you believe that? He is

the world record-holder, but the performance in London did not give

him the opportunity to get selected. I think we are all disappointed we

will not be seeing him in the Olympic Games. At the age of 39 he

has got plenty to look back on. Just listen to the reception for

they go. The great Manchester run is under way and the elite athletes

are at the front of the Pill. Behind them there are the massed

ranks of 40,000 others. Right throughout the morning they will

get their chance to join the greats on the streets of this city. 10

kilometres, it is not the challenge of the marathon or the half

marathon event, but it is a great coming-together of so many people,

running for so many different causes as well. Millions of pounds

being raised for charity and a lot of fun to be had on the way. As

they set off and wind their way through the streets, and then that

they will take a left and start heading out towards Salford.

Already under way back from there is our leader in the women's race.

She broke away just before the five kilometre point. It is Linet Masai.

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

looks so relax. She looks as if she is out for a Sunday morning stroll.

She has a lead of about 20 metres or so and that is staying the same.

It certainly has not been decreasing. She is heading for

around 31.20. She looks so relax. She does and when she made that

break at about 3.5 kilometres, there was no real perceptible

increase in the pace. It was a sustained attack and she hit them

hard for about 800 metres or so and that is what created the gap. Stun

Nadia Ejjafini from Italy behind and one of the other Kenyans, Doris

Changeiywo. She is in third place at the moment. There is a gap

developing between the first three and the rest. We will bring you up

to date with the first Briton in a moment, but Linet Masai looks

magnificent in first place. She is quite happy to move through in a

very steady pace. As Steve said early on, if you think she cannot

sprint, you have to remember when she won the World Championships

over 10,000 metres, she can sprint. She is so long legged and she can

change her pace. But she makes this looks so, so easy. The 6th Carmita

was really fast at three minutes and four seconds. There is a little

downhill section as they head back to the city centre. I am just

watching the clock and currently in 4th place in Charlotte perjure.

There she is. Still running really strong. This will be a great

confidence booster. If she runs inside 32 minutes, and that top

standard is 31.45, and most people end up quicker on the track than

they do on the roads, so this will be a confidence booster for her. If

she can get in around 32 minutes that would be good. She is

certainly well ahead of Gemma Steel at the moment. Charlotte perdu

looking strong in 4th and maybe have a chance of running down the

two athletes ahead of her. But that gap is getting bigger all the time

and Linet Masai is just pulling away with that stride. She looks

absolutely fabulous. She concentrates so well and she

obviously had a race plan coming into this 10 kilometre race. She

stuck to it rigidly. There is no way anybody is going to get close

to her in any way. Those are the split times. There is Charlotte. I

wonder if she is gaining on third place. She was in quite close

contention. It really is a good run by the Briton. Mara Yamauchi is

back in 6th place. It charlotte can maintain that pace, she would have

to run the last two Lama tears as about 3.15, which is the pace she

has been running, and she would be inside 32 minutes. There is a bit

of a rise as you head back to Old Trafford. There is a bit of a rise

up towards the finish in two Deansgate. The big crowds are there

and you know you are near the finish and most athletes can find a

little bit extra. Mara Yamauchi set off with real intent and gave them

a good start to this race. I would not expect her to contend with

Linet Masai, but she will be a bit disappointed that Charlotte is

ahead of her. Those gaps are quite significant. Charlotte is about 70

metres ahead. But Mara Yamauchi will keep running strong. Today is

a little bit of a Test, a little bit of a blow-out after all those

months of hard training as she prepares for the marathon in the

summer. She will not be disappointed if the weather is like

this when the marathon is being held. I do not suppose any of them

would be. We are heading towards the last 400 metres now. When you

consider the role of honour, there is a very famous face. When you

consider the role of honour of the women who have won here in

Manchester, Sonia O'Sullivan, Kiplagat, Joe Perry beat twice. And

Helen Clitheroe, all world-class athletes. This race attracts the

best and there is one of the very best. The man next to him, Tsegaye

Kebede, it is hard to believe he is not going to the Olympics, it is

staggering. The London course at the Olympics is quite twisting and

turning. It is for -- four big laps and one small lap. He has run

London before and the thinking is it suits his style. A few other

athletes ran well in Dubai and have not translated it into other

performances. These three have set off pretty quickly as you would

expect. At the beginning of the year they would all have been

hoping they had a chance at competing at the Games. This is a

good, strong start. That is pretty all over the world. All the smiling

stops when the gun goes and that is when he gets down to business.

Everybody heading in the other direction. The eight women are

chasing Linet Masai. I do not know if chasing is the right word, they

are following. She has been serene in her progress as ever. Such a

comfortable action. She looks as easy on the roads as she does in

cross country. A former world junior champion in cross country. I

am pleased to see her running so well. There was a question about

whether she was going to be able to contend, but on the basis of the

day, she looks really good. You might not say it is the world's

greatest field, but she has done a great job here. The course record

will not be hers today, but it is going to be a pretty quick time. It

is so good to see her in such good form. A fine style as ever. Just

pushing on in the last couple of hundred metres. It has been a

relaxed, comfortable win for her. She hopes she can look forward to a

great track season. But for now the great Manchester ran is her first,

a big victory of the year. That was pretty easy. She hardly looks as

though she has been out for a run. That is consolation for Nadia

Ejjafini for what happened in London. Just watching for third

the last couple of kilometres, but nonetheless, Charlotte Purdue will

come across the line in fourth place. There she is. She looked

around at the clock, I reckon about 32 point 10, which will be very

close to her best. Mara Yamauchi, a good solid run from her. I don't

think she will be too disappointed with that. She went out pretty

solidly early on. She kept a good pace going. As I said, she will be

looking for the marathon, a major target for the summer. There's the

attention... It will be interesting to see some of the selection

procedures around the Olympics. The Kenyan men are sending all of their

10,000 metre runners 2UG for the trials. Some big races to come for

a lot of those races -- athletes. The familiar figure at the net --

front of the men's race. The masses are also on their way, but some way

back from Haile Gebrselassie, who has really push back. -- pushed on.

A remarkable man, a remarkable career as well. You have to remind

yourself that he's 39 years old now and he has won everything. World

Championships indoors and outdoors, and of course those two brilliant

Olympic gold medals. At the top of the programme, we saw the climax of

one of the best races I've ever seen, the 10,000 metres in Sydney

where he had the last minute burn up. That was with Paul Turner Gatt,

the great Kenyan. Gebrselassie came out on top to win the gold medal.

He is working quite hard now. We have been talking about his

prospects of going to the Olympics in London. They are heading off

towards this major redevelopment of Salford Quays, which is remarkable,

including the Lowry Museum. He is racing over 10 kilometres on the

track in a couple of weeks' time. The BBC was in the background there.

It will be interesting to see how much Haile Gebrselassie wants to go

to the Olympics. He will have to work hard for it and there's not

long to go before the qualifying period ends. Look at this, 13.31

through five kilometres, that his super-fast. The course record is

held by Mika Kobo, 27.21. That is why he has the lead. That is why

even those great athlete behind him, including the world record holder

for the marathon, the man who will represent a Ethiopia in the

marathon in London, Kebede, is struggling to stay with the great

men. What a shame, if he's in this sort of form,... He wanted to make

the marathon team, but was not able to do that. We have all been

watching the progress and crossing our fingers for Mo Farah. He ran

brilliantly this week in America, he ran of 3.34 1,500 metres. He

also won the 5,000 metres. The sort of thing Gebrselassie can do, that

great range. From 1,500 metres to the marathon. What a great career

he has had, set the standard if you like for world distance running for

the last 20 years, almost. all sorts of development. Be coming

home to all of us, becoming very familiar. -- becoming. Familiar to

a Haile Gebrselassie as well, he has been to Manchester a few times

now. I am impressed with the way he is running. I don't know how you

can be impressed by him because he has done so many great things, but

he is going very, very well indeed today. He will be running next week

on the track. That will be in Hengelo, where he has performed

wonderfully over the years. It could well be his last performance

there. On the basis of this, Bekele is not running very well, he was

well beaten in Shanghai over 5,000 These three guys are three of the

best runners in the world and they can't live with him. You talked

about Haile Gebrselassie's range of racing. Even if he was running in a

1,500 metres race, we knew what kind of finishing speed he had. The

former world record holder for the marathon. That is the chasing group.

Kebede, the front runner of that group, and world record holder for

the marathon, Patrick Makau, who broke Gebrselassie's record.

Gebrselassie at the moment is showing they are more likely an

Perry feels. I think his lead may be increasing a little bit. He

knows this course pretty well. He pretty much went away from the

group at the same point as back-up -- Masai did in the women's race.

Is this the start of a real big comeback for Haile Gebrselassie? He

has won here four times before, more than anybody else in the ten-

year race history. In fact, he was a guest yesterday of the organisers

of the race and the host, Manchester City Council, and he

taught wonderfully about his experiences in track and field

athletics, and his losses. When he was asked a question about whether

he would compete in London, that little wry smile happened once

again. He said, well, who knows. He has got this track race coming up.

I have to say, I didn't think I would say this, but he has gone off

very hard here and in recent years we have seen that in his head he

does what he wants to do and then he is not able to maintain it. If

he maintains this pays, he is running as quick as ever on the

roads. If that translates to a track performance next week, who

knows? There's no reason why he and the Ethiopian federation might have

another look at this. On the basis of what we have seen in the first

six kilometres, this is the old Haile Gebrselassie in terms of

performance. The big question now is can he maintain this to the

finish? He keeps looking behind him. There's a tough section through

here. It is a pretty flat course, but if anything, this is the

hardest, To. Then a little downhill section. But he is still running

strong. Let's see what he can do, this is great to see. Jessica Ennis

is watching. Looking forward to seeing her later on. She has a big

heptathlon next week to look forward to. This morning she has

easier duties. She has to make sure she presses the horn as hard as she

can. She is explaining hurdle run from a remarkable man. He is

working hard, let's make no mistake about it. He has run away, at the

moment, from three of the best distance runners in the world. I

think the gap we saw about a kilometre or ago has been increased,

but he is working hard. He knows this course better than anybody and

he has been in this position four times in the past, as he heads

towards home. Looking at his prospects of competing in the

Olympic Stadium... There's Kebede in second place, the diminutive

little fellow from Ethiopia. A team-mate of Haile Gebrselassie, of

course. Haile Gebrselassie would not want to turn out for the London

Olympics in other thing worse than 100% shape. He would not just go

along for the ride. The problem is exactly that. He can do the

qualifying time, of course he can. But can he go to the Olympics and

be competitive on the last lap? The 10,000 metres, you remember what

happened in the World Championships last year. Mo Farah, Bekele, can he

run a 54 last-lap? That is the thing which is probably missing in

his armoury. We used to be the king of doing that. -- he used to be

forced up fast times of one thing, but you have to be competitive.

Does he want to go to the limit and finish 7th or 8th? That is

something only he will know about. In terms of qualification, the

Ethiopians have got so much talent and ability, so many people to

choose from. Despite all of his exploits and his greatness, he and

they might feel as though that is not something they want to push

himself into that area. But so far today, a really impressive. Two

point 47 for the last kilometre, the slowest of the race so far. --

are sent on their way. A lot of money will be raised for charity

today. As happens with all of these mass participation races. One of

the things I did not realise until I heard one of the Manchester City

officials say last night was that it really has made a difference to

the health of all of these people. People are coming out of their

houses, or four of their armchairs and running, for them, what is it

perfect distance. Even if you are a beginner, it is not a half-marathon

or marathon. 10k is within the scope of most very average runners.

This is the perfect distance to start with. And perfect distance

for Haile Gebrselassie at the moment. He is 15 seconds ahead of

Abshero, Kebede and Patrick Makau I. The world record holder for the

marathon has dropped off the chasing group. Is it all over bar

the shouting? Well, if Gebrselassie has got anything to do with it, you

have to say with two kilometres to go, yes. It has certainly slowed,

perhaps not surprisingly. There's no impact on the lead. They are not

really chasing him down. He looks a little bit more tired now. He is

running more at a pace that will bring him closer to 27.25. That is

my guess. It depends how much she finds towards the end. Once you are

heading back, and we are looking from overhead, you can almost see

the city centre. He will be able to see the tall buildings, he will no

home is within sight. Having to work a little bit harder now. That

is the point about the fast finish, I'm not sure he would have needed

it today anyway, but... I was talking about tall buildings. He

has made sure today he was not going to get into a hard push in

the last couple of kilometres. He made them work hard. They have done

marathons as well. Makau and Kebede are fresh from London. Abshero with

his thoughts on the Olympics. The way has been left clear for

Gebrselassie. They are chasing, but clear indication as to the sort of

pace Gebrselassie is running out at the moment. The two eyed Schroders

-- outriders are really having to push on. The Gebrselassie looked

behind him once more. I don't think I've ever seen him look back so

often, but he knows he has got two world-class athlete behind him.

Just over 25 minutes of racing, and Gebrselassie has made this race his

own. Under one kilometre to go now for the great man. He is grimacing,

he is working hard. But he does that every time he goes out on a

training run. What is the best race you have ever seen him run?

race I enjoyed the most, and I think everybody will go back to

Sydney and that great race with margins in athletics, we are

normally talking about hundreds of the second, but when it happens in

the 10,000 metres, you remember those races forever. He has had a

great career, but he has raised some great athletes as well during

his career. He has had to be very, very good. It wasn't until Bekele

came along and started to challenge him, and when it is your own team-

mate as well, it adds a different dimension to it. It has been great

that he has managed to maintain this level of ability and

enthusiasm. When you have had such a successful career over the years,

to maintain the freshness, to maintain the hunger, to maintain

the desire, to do the training required to still compete is

admirable. He has had a few injuries, not too many over the

years, he has looked after himself so well. He is the king of Ethiopia

as well. He has all sorts of business interests. If he ever

wants to do anything outside of the athletics world, he will be more

He has slowed, but the race was won in the early stages when he made

the first four or five kilometres so quick. He can enjoy the applause

of the crowd at once more. They love to see him in Manchester. He

gets great support around the world wherever he goes. Probably the most

popular distance runner there has ever been, Haile Gebrselassie. The

grimness turns to a smile again. The waves and the adulation for

perhaps the greatest ever. Is this the last time we will see him? I

hope not, but if it is it has been a great victory for the little man.

Where he belongs, at the front, on top, number one. His team-mates are

having their own little race. There was nothing they could do about

their he wrote to Dave. About their hero at today. Stephen Kiprotich is

coming through to get ahead of Patrick Makau. The world record

holder had a very disappointing performance in London, he had his

Olympic dream taken away from him. Sergey Lebid is a very familiar man

in Manchester. Nine times a European cross country champion.

Haile Gebrselassie with the Ethiopian scarf around his neck. He

can enjoy all the interviews and the photographs. The second half of

his race was 14 minutes and 18 seconds. He did destroy them early

on. It was arrays of two halves. He won it early. We would love to see

him in the Olympics, but he knows deep down the that is not the sort

of performance that will win him an Olympic medal. We will watch with a

bit of interest to see how he runs on the track next week. The time is

getting towards the 30 minute mark. Neil Burton has done pretty well.

That is well inside his previous best. He is going to be well

personal bests. They will all say, I ran against Haile Gebrselassie,

he was not that far ahead of me!. There are so many people wanting to

take part in this event, so they cannot be on the road all at the

same time, so we have a series of waves. They are very well

marshalled. They are very patient down there. What they have not told

Jessica Ennis is that she has to stand there for three hours as

everybody goes by. We will be seeing her later on this afternoon.

We look forward to that. She has got very tough opposition as well,

it's a former Olympic champion in the hurdles down at Deansgate. It

is spectacular to watch. It is spectacular to experience as well.

Is that low fives? He is going to have a sore hand at the end of this.

There are still thousands of runners. Joe Corrigan is there as

well, and what a wonderful sight. It all started 10 years ago. It has

come on since then. This race has been awarded to gold label status

by the governing body of the sport, largely as a result of the exploits

of this man, Haile Gebrselassie, the winner once again here in

Manchester. The great Ethiopia ran is a major feature of life in

Ethiopia. He is almost the cane of Ethiopia. Everybody wants to have a

share of the sort of success and the prestige that Haile

Gebrselassie has brought to the country. A massive fun run goes on

in Addis Ababa back every year and its popularity is really down to

today, but there has been plenty of training and it is great to see

people from all sorts of age backgrounds running for all sorts

of good causes and plenty of celebrities as well. Let's find out

who is taking part. There is a running tradition in Emmerdale and

three of the stars are with me now. Who started this trend on the show?

Chris got me into this. I blame him. I blame him. I blame Chris as well.

He has been an absolute inspiration. The first thing he said, come and

join the team. You are lying because I asked if you played

cricket first. Does he? No. We saw you dressed as a schoolboy in the

London Marathon. We were talking to you at Canary Wharf, but you are

not dressed up today. I am going to have a year of getting fit again

because Geoff took me down to London and he beat me in London.

was the first time. Next year I am going to get a lot quicker to beat

him by a good 10 minutes. The challenge is set down now. Here we

go. You raise so much money on Emmerdale, all of you and the cast,

tell us about it. We have been running for a leukaemia research

for a while. You can go out and buy these teddy bears for you caves. I

am going to get one. That is very fetching. Thank you for talking to

us. We are unstoppable! certainly is a change its seeing

Tony not running in fancy dress, so maybe he is taking this one a

little bit more serious dip. So many people will be running in a

race like this for the very first time. 10 kilometres is just about

the perfect distance for them. Jessica Ennis is sticking around.

She is interested in what is going on. We will see her running down in

Deansgate later. Meanwhile, Phil has got more stories for us. There

are many celebrities here and here is OJ Borg. You do a bit of singing

and running ordinarily, tell me what you are up to. I am just going

to sing today. I will not be able to run in this suit. That is death

now a sports suit. He is wearing sports leather shoes as well.

just going to get my badge on later. Where will you be singing? I will

be singing a bit further up. Here it is too noisy, so that is why I

do it further up to get them already. I set them off on their

way and inspire them for 10 kilometres. You have done that in

the past. Are you going to be inspired to break your personal

best? I swear it is too short, so I am sure the record I have got is to

fast! I just needed to not get carried away at the start because I

go off like a shot. I set you off at the Olympic Park. Today it is

going to be even faster for you. Looks 750 metres down the road you

will see me in a heap crying saying, that it was too fast. Good luck

with the singing. Thank you. From a couple of reluctant celebrities,

Nell McAndrew was crossing the line. I missed the clock. 36.50, that is

pretty good. Any of you who do this kind of stuff, that is pretty swift

running. She has been phenomenal over the last few years. A great

London Marathon this year. 2.54, something like that. She is the 6th

fastest and masters athlete, in the whole of the UK during 2012. She is

a pretty useful athlete, there is no doubt about that. All I know is

I would not raise her right now. You are wondering about of this, I

was reading something the other day and the first ever study in 1976,

studying 20,000 people, and it said that people who run live longer. I

am sorry to tell you because you were a thrower. The average is six

years for a man and five-and-a-half years for a woman. If you are

wondering if this does you any good, the answer is yes. Years ago we

would never have envisaged this sort of site. I will meet you on a

Sunday morning down in the city and we can go for a run. We heard from

Phil Jones at the start weather are lots of stories to be told, but

also at the finish. Mara Yamauchi and Charlotte perdu are with me.

This is just a sprint for you, so how pleased are you with that

performance? I am pleased because my training is geared towards the

Olympic marathon end of us, so this was a sprint. I am happy with that

time I ran. Everything is on track for August. What have you got next

leading up to that important race? I will be doing another 10

kilometres a raise in London and then I will be doing a half

marathon in June. Charlotte, you were in 4th place, how pleased are

you with that? I am really pleased. I have a good block of training and

I am targeting to make the 10th kilometre team at the Olympic Games

and this is a good stepping stone to that will stop the trials for

you will be the big moment. Definitely and I am doing another

10 kilometres at two weeks from today and I hope I will get an

Olympic qualifying time. A bit about the crowds and the atmosphere.

Fantastic, at Manchester is a centre of sport and it is a great

atmosphere. Come ventilators to rest of -- to both of you. I am

pleased that Mara Yamauchi is pleased with that. She finished in

6th place in the Beijing Marathon and she would love to grow a few

places higher than that. When you see scenes like this, Steve, you

think back to the Commonwealth Games and there was a bit of a

hangover in Manchester after that because it was such a great events

despite the weather. With the Manchester 10 kilometres and the

Manchester swim as well, there is a big open air swim happening very

shortly, and the Manchester cycle ride, which is a new events, it

will be a new edition to all of these great events which happen in

Manchester. Well, the hangover has gone and it is in many people's

opinion now the City of sport. Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games

organisers wanted to leave a legacy and when you see events like this,

couple of hours at least. It was clear a little while ago for a

Haile Gebrselassie. He stormed through to the winning time of

27.38, which was a second quicker Masai. A second outside Charlotte

paratriathlon champion two years in a row, she has won for the first

time in Manchester. -- Jane again. In the men's race, there really was

only one winner, they could be only one winner. Haile Gebrselassie. He

spoke to Jonathan Edwards. fantastic run, you must be

delighted with that. Yes, it was wonderful, I'm so happy. I did not

expect to run that fast. I had a bit of doubt yesterday because of

the weather, but the weather today was fantastic. Great day. All sorts

of questions about whether or not you will retire, but after that

performance, London 2012, 10,000 metres, a possibility? Yes, that is

what I'm thinking now. Next week I have to be in the top three. Maybe

I will be in London. We hope so. You're watching on television the

shots of the Olympic torch and that must make you want to be in London.

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

will try to be in the team. could be running with the torch,

perhaps? Yes, that would be another thing. I will be in Newcastle with

Brendan Foster in June. Always fantastic to see a, a brilliant run

and we hope to see you in London. Thank you. 67 days until the

opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games. One of the buzzwords

his legacy. It seems appropriate, 10 years on from the Commonwealth

Games in 2002, to reflect on the legacy of that great event. It is

my pleasure to declare the 17th Commonwealth Games open.

Commonwealth Games open. opening ceremony of the

Commonwealth Games was usually emotional. It was the most

fantastic experience of my life. just remember track and field.

Paula Radcliffe winning the 5,000 metres in remarkable style.

Watching the stadium rise to their feet as she ran around the stadium.

It was a very, very special moment. It gave us an opportunity to

transmitter very powerful image about the new Manchester. The most

important thing you get out of successfully staging great events

are more young people playing sport, but also leaving the facilities to

compete in. Everything was going to be used after the Games, we knew

how it was going to be paid for. The number of international

visitors that come to Manchester has increased spectaculars at a

best spectacularly. We have continued to build on our legacy of

the Games by continuing to invest in community sports, by continuing

to drive elite performance. Virtually every World Championship

has come to the UK. European Championship has found its way to

the north-west of England. We were looking for something that could be

uniquely Mancunian. Clearly, it has been an absolutely enormous success

and not only in terms of the event itself, but all of the other events

that have come along. I think Manchester is the capital of sport

in this country. When London threw its hat in the ring, there was

really only Manchester that we were able to 0.2 as being a world-class

event organised in a great way. for the 2002 Commonwealth Games,

there would have been no prospect of Britain hosting the Olympics in

Manchester Commonwealth Games. Richard least, I caught up with him

there at the start. I have got the there at the start. I have got the

leader of Manchester City Council. Also running today. How important

is this event to Manchester? This is one of the principal successor

events to the Commonwealth Games. It brings 40,000 people into the

city, it gets us on TV screens all over the world, it gets people

fitter and healthier and it raises millions for charity. It is not

just one event, it is a whole weekend of events, and this year it

is kicking off six weeks of events. It has grown and grown and grown,

with the aim of being the biggest mass part of the beige and

collection of events anywhere in the country. We have got the mass

cycling taking place, going right through to the Olympics. You must

smile with all the talk about London 20 drug and legacy. You have

been there and done that. London 2012 is part of our legacy. They

would not be doing it if it wasn't for us. Manchester doesn't stand

still, we are moving on, we are still hosting major sporting events

every year and this is one of the biggest and best of those. How is

your form for today? I'm Beijing. I did pretty well a couple of years

ago, when I last did it. -- I am ageing. I am not expecting a good

time this year. Good luck and congratulations on everything you

is also part of that. It is all right saying come and take part,

but the fact he is Alvarez's well is a great feather in his cap. --

he is out there as well. People are just enjoying the fact they can

come and take part in such a major event. It is what draws people to

it. Running can be lonely at times, but when you can come along to

something like this and share the experience with thousands of others,

it gives it a sense of occasion and there will be a real sense of

achievement. Good luck with the singing! If he breaks out into a

chorus of Blue Moon, he might get some things thrown at him! Joined

those people patiently waiting for their chance to get their legs

moving. -- all of those people. You can see various clocks because of

the various waves. The first wave electronic chip which is only

activated when they cross the start line so they all get a very

accurate time at the end. Well, we've been catching up on plenty of

stories are there and Phil has got stories are there and Phil has got

another one. A great team here from Coronation Street. You are running

for different causes. I'm running for the East Cheshire Hospice,

which is the hospice where my dad was dead for before he passed away.

Fantastic. How about you? running for the Christie. There are

4,000 of us. You will be in the same kit? I'm in blue and she is in

a luminous green yellow. We need to stand out. We've got a lot less

runners for the hospice and the Christie. Trying to stand up.

me what you like about this occasion in particular. For the

pair of us, we'll a lot to Manchester. We get to work in this

great city every day. Coronation Street is synonymous with

Manchester. Manchester United and Manchester City. They are

synonymous with Manchester. It is nice for us to feel part of a

greater community. It brings everyone together as well. An event

like this get bigger and better every year. Everyone is in such a

good mood and we are all running for such good causes. It is a

really good team spirit. What about your own personal performance? Have

you got goals like that? I am trying to beat my time from last

year. What is it? 56 minutes. would be happy with that. I would

be happy with four hours. He signs autographs on the way round. That

is where I'm letting myself down! Any time is a good time. It is just

great to be here. The day before, you think, why am I doing it? When

you get it, you realise why. Nothing but a pleasure. We will see

So many celebrities taking part, so many great causes benefiting from

their patronage of events like this. You never know who you are running

next day when you are out there. Everybody looks the same. You never

quite know who is alongside you at an event like this. Now, I'm not

sure what he has come as. I can't see the full uniform. Any clues?

You have normally got a witty line on occasions such as this.

haven't got one on this occasion! I'm just wondering how he will

Breathe. People are running for charity and that is what drives

people on year after year as this race get bigger and better. I'm

sure since Bobby Charlton started the race a few years ago he will

have noticed an increase in the crowds, an increase in the level of

enthusiasm. Manchester is buzzing today, as it has been for the last

couple of weeks. Really important that the organisation goes well.

You have a lot of people out there and you can see the way they are

marshalled through the start. The idea is to let them walk to that

point and then they can start running. They just have to be

patient. That is something they are aware of and they get their

individual time. I keep mentioning so many great stories and Phil has

been picking up on one or two really interesting stories. This is

the story of a man who was quite well known in these parts. His name

Taxi! I want to go into Manchester. No problem. Get in. Off we go.

is Salford Quays, the old Manchester docks. This is the

Manchester Ship Canal Basin. That little building is Old Trafford,

the football ground. They used to be the league champions! We got a

good shot of Old Trafford over there. We will get a better close-

up on Sunday. We will run past Old Trafford. As somebody who drives

people around and shows them the site, what is it like for you to be

site, what is it like for you to be running that race? I like to join

get to know your way around Manchester and get to know about

the buildings, and the only way is by joining in with what is going on.

I'm doing the 10k run, which is today, I'm doing the great

Manchester cycle ride in a couple of weeks, and a more Soderling the

great Manchester swim, which is where we are now. Doing it for a

worthy cause? A special needs school in south Manchester. Free-

kick Manchester events, I'm a Mancunian, and it is at Manchester

School we are doing it for. Tell me why you got into this and the first

place? A few years ago I was fairly ill. I was not keeping myself fit,

ill. I was not keeping myself fit, drinking too much and not

exercising. I decided then, after a bit of banter with friends, saying

I had put a bit of weight on, and my wife as well, I decided to start

training and it snowballed. If I can do it, anyone can do it. The

That is impressive. We are going to travel back to 1000 years to Roman

Manchester. We are looking to see what the Romans would have seen.

Except for the Tower! Then we are coming to arbour Square, this is

the main, civic centre of Manchester. In tis an amazing

building. It is a reminder for us of the Commonwealth Games. You will

have done all the work in the morning by the time that comes

around. That is the end of the tour, see you again soon. Do you want any

a free ride. Just outside the town hall is where the organisers have

been constructing a portable pole vault runway where we will be able

to see the world, in dire bronze medallist, Holly Bleasdale, aiming

to get victory this afternoon against rivals from all over the

world. I saw her at breakfast this morning and she said, I cannot wait

to get over there and have a look. It is a chance for her to have a

pole-vault competition, which happens regularly around the world

these days. They are held in city- centre venues to give the crowds a

chance to get close and personal as it were. I heard of a major shot

put competition taking place in a station recently. There were

something like 7000 people watching. There is the pole vault runway

looking absolutely splendid in front of the town hall, which is a

beautiful building itself. Certainly a lot to look at four

interested spectators. They will see some sites this afternoon.

Early on this morning we had some great action and the women's race

got under way first. It had some of Britain's new talent, Charlotte

perjure, Gemma Steel and Mara Yamauchi looking for a sharper now

before the London Marathon. It was a pretty steady pace early on. But

it was not long before a Linet Masai move to to the front. She

stretched the lead and it was a very comfortable win for the former

world champion. She will be happy she has got that out of the way and

can now concentrate on her selection for London. Charlotte

perdu was in 4th place. She is looking forward to the 10

kilometres on the track now and like everybody else will want to

compete in the Games. I do not know who makes these suits up. On any

other occasion but today you would run a mile in another direction.

That is John Chipperfield in there. That is just one of the costumes on

view today. Most people these days prefer to wear the normal running

Kate. You were talking earlier, Steve, about all the different

waves, the defence starts at the start line. When this race started

10 years ago there was just one race with a few 1000 spectators.

They are all waiting in anticipation for what could be a

great day. We can join fell and see what war stories he has got for us.

I am in the celebrity compound joined by Peter Hook and Bill

Turnbull. You are raising money for Mairi Curie cancer. Now it is your

local race. Yes, just renewing my acquaintance with the streets of

Manchester. It feels like coming home. I have not been very fit

recently, but today is the day. Rachel, it is a local race for you

as well. It is going to be nice. It is lovely to see a city on a

relatively quiet Sunday morning from a different perspective. To be

honest, it was an excuse to get out of the house and away from the kids

for a couple of hours. Peter, we have seen you here before her.

aren't of the great things about doing this is it is inspiring to

get other people involved. It is a fantastic day and it is well worth

it and the causes people do it for a really important, so I am happy

to do it. It is nice that you could join us. 40,000 people, it is like

being in a festival, isn't it? it is getting bigger by the year.

You have been here in the past and to see 40,000 entrance when there

were only 5000 in its infancy. cannot imagine it could get bitter

-- bigger, but with a staggered start you could go all day if you

wanted. It is huge organisation, they did a fantastic job putting it

altogether, but it is all running very smoothly. The great swim and

the great cycle to come. This is where it is all happening. I told

you. Yes, you did, and the support is phenomenal. It is fantastic.

Enjoy it and raise money for great causes, thank you very much for

talking to us. Thank you. Good luck, indeed. It is good to see the BBC

well represented. As was being alluded to, it is the new home of

BBC Sport and Radio 5 Live, so opportunities for them to get out

and join in all the fun. We are going to enjoy some of the sites

and the scenes from today's event. If there is any one you are looking

out for, let us know what they are up to and you will see some of the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 143 seconds

names scrolling across the bottom causes and a lot of people have not

even started yet to be honest. Still thousands yet to have their

opportunity to stretch their legs out. It is really well organised at

the start. Of course, they will all come back into the city, so it is

almost like a conveyor belts of runners of all shapes, sizes, ages.

So many from the north-west region, but plenty coming from around the

country to take part in one of the biggest events. Just over an hour

ago, the first of the mass races started and with it the men's

eights race. Everybody was looking forward to watching Haile

Gebrselassie again coming to win the race, which he has won on three

occasions before. There was no doubt about the result today. It

was an impressive first five kilometres about the great man. It

had us all wondering and even himself. He destroyed the track,

and now he is looking forward to a track event next week. You never

know, we might see him again at the Olympic Games. Let's hope it is not

the last time we see him in Manchester. A great win for a Haile

Gebrselassie. That is the cue for coffee, by the way. You do not

really need it a day, it is not too bad out there. Plenty of spectators

and hopefully they will becoming further down Deansgate. Beyond

their the track is already laid for the great city games this afternoon.

These people are waiting for their chance. Jonathan will bring us news

of some other people who have had their go. We have to have the

youngsters on a day like this as well. Yes, it is all grown-ups

streaming past me, but yesterday was the turn of the youngsters, the

under 16 s and the Under eights and It was fun running with lots of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 143 seconds

Good atmosphere. Lot of good I'm here with Kirsty how would. You

have raised millions of pounds, tell me about today and what it

means to you. I'm doing it for the 10th time and it will be fun.

have a gang to support you on the way round, what is it like having

them? Amazing, more runners than ever. Who are you raising money for

in particular at the moment? Francis House. You have raised �5

million for them in the past. Congratulations. Mike Sweeney is

here. We always have a chat at this time. I recognise you every year

now. More special every year. A Yes. This year is the biggest ever. For

your organisation is better than ever. -- the organisation. It is an

amazing event for the City of Manchester. It puts us in a really

good light. To have this kind of camaraderie for the Kirsty appeal.

She is amazing. She's an amazing human being. When you look at what

she was given, five weeks to live when she was three years old, she

is now 16. And with a very special wheelchair with a tax disc! We know

her well from the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games with

David Beckham. She has been an inspiration to people since then.

You can do it around the world. I spoke to people about her outside

the UK and as soon as you match and a girl with David Beckham, they

know straight away. The associate her with so many things. She is an

inspiration. Having raised money for the Francis House Hospice, 5

million initially, now an extra 2 million for an extension. If that

is what we are doing. I think we will do it. I've no doubt we will

get the extra 2 million. Fantastic. Time for a bit of action. It is! We

will them around the course. I will Good to see Kirsty again. She

really has been an inspiration. She has raised a massive amount of

money through the Kirsty appeal. You would be forgiven for thinking

for crowds we are looking at now were the runners, but they are not,

they are waiting for their loved ones to cross over the finish line

and go through the finish area. It is so well-organised. I think

there's a quarter of a million people who have gone over the

finish line ever since the start of A quarter of a million people over

the finish line, I guess you could be forgiven for asking, Where Are

Into a horrors began to emerge from Yugoslavia. Kosovo was a forlorn

place and the girls had witnessed a family massacre, but they rebuilt

their lives after in evacuation to Manchester. They build a peace park

in their homeland. They had been left for dead after the attack in

July 1999, but they were central to the founding of Manchester aid for

Kosovo, raising thousands of fairly refugees and making Fir Park for

peace the reality. Out of tragedy, such remarkable inspiration and

hope for Kosovo's young generation. Clare was living with the liver

disorder when at a routine check-up she was told her condition had

worsened. I just knew that I was going to be put on to the

transplant list. It was devastating. It was a massive shock. I was only

32. Undeterred, she trade for the runt with Murphy the dog and was

set to take part in 2010 when on the morning of the race she was

called into a hospital for transplant surgery.

And the transplant was a huge success because Clare has alongside

me. You're looking so well. How are you feeling? Absolutely brilliant,

better than I have felt in a long time. Really, really good. Having

not been able to run in 2010 for very good reasons, you came and ran

last year, but you feel better this year? Yes, I ran last year because

I felt it was important. It was really hard work. But I still

finished it. This year I have done a lot of training, I could not have

done any more, I feel so much better. I have a lot of strength

and energy and I can't wait. sure it will be fantastic. We've

just revisited your story as well. How have things gone in your

homeland? Really well. The park is almost finished. Now it has become

an annual think where we have the Manchester peace park run, which is

organised every year in the park. It is also great to have two of the

leading Kosovo and athletes who have been invited to take part in

the run here. It has been sponsored by the Kosovo Federation. It is

amazing how things have developed since when we started running.

will be taking part yourself. What do enjoy about the occasion most?

For a whole atmosphere. -- the whole atmosphere. Different people

supporting different charities. It is seeing everybody, it is such a

happy event. It has such a huge influence on a lot of people's

lives and it has in my life. It is amazing to be able to take part in

it. Great to see you coming back time after time. Congratulations on

your you've achieved so far and your you've achieved so far and

keep it going! -- or you've achieved. The runners are still

streaming along. They will be going for a few hours yet. Going at a

very moderate pace. Going back a couple of days, Friday evening at

RNAS Culdrose, David Beckham lighting the cauldron having

brought the flame over from Athens. The remarkable thing was it was

chucking it down increase and the weather in Cornwall was quite

pleasant. -- in Greece. At Land's End, Ben Ainslie, the first torch-

bearer, quite amazing scenes. You can see me on the right with a

camera taking a picture! But the countdown to 2012 is very much on.

Brendan Foster has joined be. A great distance runner in your time.

Great excitement about the distance races in London 2012. Let's start

with Gebrselassie. We might see him with Gebrselassie. We might see him

in London. He was watching the TV yesterday and he was getting pretty

excited about the torch relay. And today the torch relay tells us the

Olympics is coming. Today his performance tells me the greatest

distance runner of all time might actually be appearing. He did not

get selected for the marathon for Ethiopia because some men came

around faster. He has gone back to do some hard training and he

surprised me today. I thought he had some competitors who were

younger and faster and I thought we might see the last serious

performance from him. Even in some of the interviews he's done, you

almost sense and uncertainty as to what his next. You do. But he is a

competitor. He's been such a great athlete and people think he is just

a natural runner, he is but he is also a fierce competitor. Witness

Sydney 2000 when he won one of the great races. He is talking about

getting old and what he will do next and he has all kinds of plants

and thoughts, but I said to him yesterday, if you finish in the

first three in the 10,000 metres next week, will you run in the

Olympics? He said, they could not keep me away. I did not think he

was as good as he was, and he has not, but I wondered if he would be

good enough again to but on the track. I've seen today a

performance, because the athletes behind him were world class. Some

of them are already going to the Olympics. The world record holder

for the marathon, he left him in his wake. Kebede. Abshero, the

young upstart, who not Gebrselassie off the marathon team, and suddenly

the man reminds us he is a great run and a great competitor. How are

we to scissors -- assess where Bekele is at the moment? He has

been up and down. He is not done a great place. We saw him run a few

weeks ago in Dublin on the roads. I thought he was coming back to his

best form. He has run a couple of track races since, and he is

running better than he was last year, but he is not back to where

he was. The great news coming out of America is that Mo Farah ran a

1,500 metres and then a 5,000 metres within an hour. World-class

times in both events. For me, the men's 10,000 metres in the Olympic

Games will be a great one. Haile Gebrselassie thrown in for good

measure, it would be great. Can you imagine 400 metres to go with all

three of them? You could hardly contain yourself. You might have

Gebrselassie looking from a distance. I think his days on the

track are over. Ken and Lisa is not as good as he was. But he may come

back in a few weeks. It just means the Olympic torches burning,

everyone is getting excited, the athletes are getting excited, and

the winter training is coming on. That is what I love about the

Olympics. The important thing for Mo Farah is it will have boosted

his confidence after a disappointing indoor season.

Conference in distance running is 80% of it. Physical fitness,

they're all physically fit, but the guy who thinks he can do it, can do

it. That is where Bekele, double champion from Beijing, world record

holder, we know that if he is in full form, he will be almost

unstoppable. But he may not be in full form. One other athlete who

has a lot of proof is Paula Radcliffe. Talk about confidence.

Her most recent performance was not what she would have wanted in

Vienna. She is coming to the end of her career. I haven't seen the

evidence from Paula that I have just seen from Gebrselassie. She

ran a good race in Berlin last autumn. She was -- it was fantastic

to see her selected. Five Olympics for a distance runner is a

remarkable achievement and she has been the best in the world at times.

She is probably not the best in the world any more, but you know you

will always get a story. certainly do. Is a medal out of the

question? It is difficult to see her beating Mary. Could she sneak a

medal? If I was a betting man, which I am,... I would take a long

price on an each-way bet. But I would love to see it, it would be

fantastic. She has been a great runner, a world record holder for

the marathon, the marathon record hasn't been approached in recent

times. The British public will be on her side. Hopefully if she is

fit, she runs well. At the end of the day, for her to come to an

Olympics funds gave it is quite important. Her last two Olympics

have been torture. -- unscathed. She needs a decent performance.

Achilles to a medal, we will be jumping up and down. She is a great

champion and you can only hope London brings out the best.

Gebrselassie is a great champion, and a great competitor. Paula was a

great champion, world champion, world record holder. They have been

a tonic for the sport. When Gebrselassie goes, we were never

see his like again because he is a charming, charismatic man. Paul has

had the same effect on women's distance running in this country

and around the world. At the end of 2012, if the curtain goes down on

those two, the sport will be poorer. Marah might end up being our best

marathon runner -- Yamauchi. thought it was a very good

performance. She hadn't run for a long time, she looks fit. A good

time for her. Her preparation is meticulous. You know when she comes

across the line and smiles, she is happy. You know that means she is

on the right track, on target. I think the Olympic name -- games

women's distance runners this year will be exciting. We have a few

weeks to go, the trials will be good. I can't wait to sit in that

stadium. We should mention Jo Pavey running a 'A' standard on the track

for the Commonwealth Games. getting excited 8 at Charlotte

Purdue as well. I think she will be it in the Olympic team for the

10,000 metres. She is a young up- and- coming athlete. She first got

involved in athletics 10 years ago when she watched Paula Radcliffe

running in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She went up to the

athletic club the next day and she started training. I think 10 years

later young Charlotte Purdue will have a great future. I think we

will see her running in the against Linet Masai. For she has to

have a chance of a medal, even a gold medal. It is building up

nicely. The great thing is, we have We are going to get back out to the

really exciting summer ahead of us. We cannot wait for the Olympics and

some of those stories took unfurled. Today has been about all the other

stories as well. There is Chris, struggling abate. It all comes

fairly easily to him, he has done so many over the years. He has got

a regular smile. Just a quick word, Steve, about one of the things they

were talking about. The warm-up track for the Commonwealth Games in

2002 is now a big track in this area. There is a big event

happening on Tuesday. The Paralympic World Cup is coming to

Manchester once again and the athletics is taking place on

Tuesday with a lot of Paralympic champions and world record holders

on display. It is certainly worth going to watch. There are two of

the best distance runners in the world and the best here today in

scrolled across the screen and we are watching a few of the many

thousands here today heading towards the finish line. We were

there at the track last night and there was a good performance here

in Manchester from Joe paid eight. So many people are trying to make

the team and she was not selected for the marathon. She was in the

5000 kilometres last night, so Manchester has been at the centre

of things in athletics this weekend. There was also young Ross Murray

and we are hoping we can produce some new, British stars. There was

a big 1500 metres from him last night. All of that will be unfurled

across the summer. The Olympic trials will be on the BBC on June

23rd and June 24th when they will be tested. It will be almost the

last chance to make the Olympic team. It is the same with everybody

here today who have banned their training and their planning.

Athletes know that will be their big weekend. We will be seeing

quite a few of those athletes on show this afternoon in Deansgate. I

am looking forward to that. Yes, we certainly are, as well as the pole

vault. If you have been watching, you will have seen it being set up

in front of the town hall. Some great events featuring a Olympic

champions and world champions. It all starts in Deansgate at 2:55pm.

There is the men's 150 metres and it kicks off the Powerade

Manchester City games, 2012. That looks even more spectacular, but

when you get some of the best pole vaulters in the world's led by

Holly Bleasdale who won a bronze indoor medal recently in Istanbul.

She will be one of the favourites this afternoon. Hopefully a lot of

spectators outside the town hall surrounding that area. They have

never seen anything like it before in Manchester for sure. And down on

Deansgate. That is right in front of the town hall and Manchester has

been taken over by this event. We have mentioned so many charity

runners taking part, and there is a charity village not far from where

we are sitting at the moment. Lots of people waiting for all those out

there who are running for a great I am really excited about tomorrow,

it is lovely to meet amazing people who go the extra mile to raise

money for our charity. We are just setting up our stall. We have got

big, branded panels and I have been sticking Velcro at the top of the

marquee. We have to load in all of the treats for the runners and we

have got banners to put up. We will be blowing up about 200 balloons.

We are loading lots of things in and we are making it look pretty

when they come back tomorrow. Everyone is putting in a lot of

effort for tomorrow. This is one of the biggest events in our calendar

and it is a great weekend. I will be here attending to the runners

when they come back and we will make a big fuss of them. I want to

wish all the runners good luck and we look forward to seeing you

half-a-mile from Manchester city centre where we saw the charity

villages, that is where we will all be heading this afternoon and that

street will be packed with spectators. It is almost a unique

event, bringing top-class world athletes from the track right into

the city centre. That is 200 metres long. Let's have a little look at

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 143 seconds

what we can look forward to this Malcolm happen to be standing

alongside me here. Welcome, and Mr Jackson back from the Champions

Marlon, you have had great performances here, and it is a

super concept that has taken off. It is a great concept and what I

like about it is everyone can come onto the street and it is easy. In

the stadium you can get close to the crowd and you can see how quick

they are running. It is a good concept and I'm all for it.

have probably seen the shots of the Olympic flame a riding, how does

that make you feel in an Olympic year? It is on our doorstep, it is

around the corner. I am definitely feeling they have five, the

athletes are all excited about it. I am looking forward to competing

today and doing my best. You ran a very good 150 here three years ago

with a certain Usain Bolt. It was a bit wet. You had a good race

yourself. Yes, I ran really well. It was a good start for me. I was

interested to get involved. You can see him moving ahead. I think I

came second in the end. I have moved on since then. Hopefully I

can continue and run a bit quicker today. Are you happy with where you

are at at this time a beer? Yes, I was training in Arizona this year

and I had seven weeks out there and it went very well. Yes, I have been

healthy this year, not like last year. Hopefully with extra training

it has put me in good stead. interesting person in the race, we

have to talk about it, Dwain Chambers. You have run with him

many times, how are you feeling about that? I am completely fine

with it to be honest. The rule had to be one way or the other a. You

could not have a bylaw just in the UK, it confuses matters. He is

running, so that is the role and I am going to get on with it and

compete with them. I am coming to you, Christian. How many times have

you run the Games now? Once in Manchester and twice in Newcastle.

How do you find it? I enjoyed it, the concept is amazing, it brings

that fun element to athletics, which is needed. In terms of you

and your preparation, how important is it to run well later on today?

It is very important. This is a big year, this is our hope Olympics.

Having the opportunity to go to the Home Olympics is a definite once-

in-a-lifetime opportunity. Today is very important, it is my first big

run of the year. It must have got the juices going looking back Ben

Ainslie, our first torch-bearer at Land's End. It must have got the

juices going. Definitely. We have been away for eight weeks training

in Arizona and to come home, knowing that the Olympic torch is

here now and everybody is talking about it. You get questions from

family and friends, but now it is everyone, everywhere you go and you

cannot hide from it. Obviously, Dwain Chambers is running this

afternoon and you are a great friend of his and a great supporter.

Are you pleased to see him get his chance to potentially run in London

28 well? Yes, I am happy for him. The ruling had to be one way or the

other. Hopefully, the powers maybe well put on the pressure. I think

two years is a bit lenient, but for Dwain Chambers I am happy for him.

In terms of the British team as a whole, there is a sense there is a

real confidence in UK Athletics going into the Olympic Games.

has to be. From the moment we got the Olympic Games, the home nation

seems to do well, and the youngsters seem to be delivering

and the older guys are hanging on in there! It is a once-in-a-

lifetime opportunity for everyone and everyone is going to do their

best to get there. It is an interesting point you make, you and

smile on an star Wayne are a little bit older. Is their concern about

the next generation coming through? I would not say so. There is talent

there and they need a little bit of guidance. Some have been

unfortunate with Nicholls and injuries, but you need something

like a home games to wake things up. They are taking our Mansell, I

guess. If not this year, hopefully next year. Colin, let me come to.

This afternoon is a good line up and that extra tension because it

is an Olympic year. And it also allows our domestic athletes to see

exactly where they are at this time of the year. It is a concession

time, they are just leaving their winter work and they are getting

into their summer work, but they are practising in a highly

pressured situation, which is exactly what it will be like at the

Olympic Games. I and nervous for you, I can tell you. There is the

110 metres hurdles. There is Andy Turner. It will be fascinating to

see how he goes. Yes, absolutely, he knows he is under pressure,

being Britain's number one. Unfortunately for him he has had an