Heartbreak hill returns as route of 2018 half marathon is revealed

THE route for the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run has been revealed and the infamous hill and Broad Street are back.

But in a twist this year, the half marathon will start in Broad Street and go down Lee Bank Middleway.

Regular runners will remember that Broad Street, packed with thousands of supporters, was always the traditional home of the finish line but only after participants had endured the leg-sapping climb up Lee Bank Middleway.

Race organiser Great Run Company was forced to redraw the course last year because of the ongoing tram works and the revamp of Centenary Square, but it has since gone back to the drawing board and created this new route.

The 13.1-mile race will once again finish in Jennens Road and see the athletes’ village housed on Aston University’s campus after taking in parts of Bournville, Edgbaston and Cannon Hill Park.

In addition to the route changes, which were made following feedback from participants, the Great Birmingham Run reverts to its morning start time after being moved to an afternoon slot last year to accommodate the inaugural Bir- mingham International Marathon. David Hart, partnerships director for the Great Run Company, said: “We listened to feedback from runners who took part in last year’s half marathon and have worked with our partners at Birmingham City Council and transport agencies to create this new and improved route for 2018.

“The Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run is one of the flagship events in the Great Run series and we are striving to make it more popular than ever.”

The Great Birmingham Run will again feature the Business Challenge which invites firms to compete against one another for fastesttime trophies.

There are competitions for men’s, women’s and mixed teams of four or more runners from small, medium and large companies and organisations.

The four fastest collective times by participants are added up for each team to pick the overall winners and an engraved trophy is awarded for the winning team in each business size category.

Plus, any company that enters 12 employees or more also receives an engraved plaque.

Among the winners last year were HSBC and the West Midlands Combined Authority whose team, the “Mayor’s Movers”, were led by Mayor Andy Street.

There are also two fun runs for children taking place at Alexander Stadium, in Perry Barr, on the Saturday before the half marathon.