The Great South Run, a popular 10-mile (16km) race in Portsmouth, has been cancelled due to bad weather conditions, affecting some 23,000 runners who were expected to take part on Sunday. Race organisers decided to call off the event after monitoring closely the weather forecast, which showed no sign of improvement close to the start time. The decision was taken due to the risk of compromised event infrastructure, including medical facilities, high tide levels, potential debris, and high exposure along the seafront making it unsafe to guarantee a secure delivery of the event.
The safety of the participants, staff, and volunteers was announced as the number one priority, and solutions such as providing the option for a refund or a roll-over entry into next year’s event were announced by the organisers. The main race is usually held annually and features Portsmouth’s landmarks, including Spinnaker Tower and the Historic Dockyard. This year’s event was scheduled to start from Clarence Esplanade.
Operations director Neil Gough expressed disappointment in a statement and spoke about the cancellation being a significant blow for the landmark event. Several volunteers and people usually came out to support the race. However, with the potential risk of endangering people’s lives at the forefront, organisers had to make the tough decision. Traders, such as Alton Sports, which sells sports goods, were also affected. Toby Lambert said his team was disappointed with the cancellation, but safety had to come first.
The Great South Run first started in Portsmouth in 1991 and had 25,000 entrants in 2024. The women’s course record time of 50:43 was set by Eilish McColgan in 2021, and the men’s course record time of 45:15 was set by Joseph Ebuya in 2010. Chris Thompson and Elish McColgan held the record for three wins in a row from 2016-18 and 2018-2021, respectively. The organisers have announced that next year’s event is scheduled on 19 October and have promised to contact participants next week with details about entry roll-over or a refund
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