Great North Run goes European
LINK-UP WILL SEE EVENTS AIMED AT A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
THE movement that started with the Great North Run is set to go global after its organisers linked up with European counterparts to launch a series of international Great Runs.
The Great Run Company – which started the Great North Run on Tyneside in 1982 and has since attracted more than 1m competitors to the popular half marathon – has combined with Belgian company Golazo to re-brand events in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France.
The two firms – which are both run by former Olympic runners – are also launching a joint venture to take the Great Runs to a global audience, with plans for events around the world to create a brand that can be a major player in the growing participation sports business.
The partnership will create a brand with 1.3m participants in over 60 mass participation running events across Europe each year.
Great Run Company founder and chairman Brendan Foster said: “This coming together of two like-minded running brands will create something very special in the world of mass participation sport.
“It is an exciting new venture which will give millions of participants, existing and new, the opportunity to participate in a Great Run event. Our events are renowned for the great consumer experience they deliver year in year out and it will also create a new platform for brands to reach a massive audience with one commercial conversation.”
Bob Verbeeck, a former Olympic athlete who is CEO of Golazo Group, said: “Our companies have a lot in common. Both Brendan and I have a history in athletics – our companies are founded ‘by runners and for runners,’ as we say.
“We share the same passion and the same mission – encouraging people to move. I’m looking forward to working with Brendan and his team to create a worldwide platform for runners and to export the Great Run brand to the rest of the world.”
The Great Run Company runs a number of mass participation events inspired by the Great North Run, with children’s races and adult events at 5k, 10k, half marathons and marathons.
The company has expanded its event calendar in the UK, with new races being added in Stirling and Birmingham in the last year.
Golazo Group operates across continental Europe and in Scandinavia, organising events in running, cycling and swimming and having publishing and athlete representation arms.
Among the events it runs are the Brussels Marathon and professional cycle races in Holland and Belgium.
The link-up reflects the amazing success of the Great North Run, which was launched by Mr Foster in 1981 with support from a number of North East partners, including The Journal.