Britton launches major athletics event

EUROPEAN Cross Country Champion Fionnuala Britton was on hand last week to launch this year’s SPAR Great Ireland Run, which will take place on Sunday, April 14.

Linda Byrne, Ava Hutchinson and Lizzie Lee, Britton’s team gold medal winning colleagues joined her for the launch of the eagerly awaited event.

Britton has committed to lead the women’s field in the run where she finished seventh in 2011.

“I just love the Phoenix Park,

? she said.

“There is no place better in Europe to run and the buzz around the SPAR Great Ireland Run is incredible.

“Each year it gets bigger and better with more and more kids in their own races, and then runners, joggers and walkers of all abilities start in a top class international race to aim for their own personal best.

?

This year’s run will be all about enjoying a family running day out. It will begin with a SPAR Mini Run for five to eight-year-olds over a lap of a mile and an adult can run/walk alongside each child if they wish. After the Mini Run comes the SPAR Junior Run for nine to 15-year-olds over a longer distance of 2.5k.

The day is topped off by the 10k which covers a scenic single lap of the Phoenix Park in its springtime glory. The run will again be shown live on RTE.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the world governing body of athletics, has conferred an IAAF Silver Road Race Label on the SPAR Great Ireland Run, in recognition of the event’s high standard of organisation, elite participation and media profile.

Once again a superb field of international and national distance runners will compete on the day, led by Ireland’s European Women’s Cross Country Championship winning team.

The 2013 run will include the Irish 10k road championships and will feature most of Ireland’s top distance runners.

To further incentivise elite Irish athletes and raise the standard of 10k running in the country, a prize fund is being put in place for the first 10 Irish men and women.

Participants are encouraged to raise funds for good causes and the run’s nominated charities are SPAR’s charity partner, the 3Ts (Turn the Tide of Suicide) and the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. The Baby Max Wings of Love Fund is the nominated charity for the SPAR Junior Run and Mini Run.

Entries for all events are available at www.greatirelandrun.org