O’leary praise for fellow competitors

Celebrity Dermot O’leary has praised Bath Half Marathon’s organisers and fellow runners after taking part in the event for the third time despite fears about coronavirus.

The race took place on Sunday despite receiving calls from residents, runners and Bath MP Wera Hobhouse to cancel the event in light of the pandemic.

The British-irish TV presenter came home in a time of one hour 52 minutes after taking on the event with his sister Nicola.

The star, who has presented a number of shows, including X Factor, Big Brother, Soccer Aid and 1 vs. 100, told the Chronicle’s sister website Bath Live that he enjoyed the event and he praised people’s conduct.

“I am surprised they did run it, to be honest,” he said. “We were thinking about it last night but in the end we said we would just go for it and just be sensible.

“I must really praise people who ran respecting people’s personal boundaries in these heightened times. The mutual respect shown was really good.

“It’s an amazing run, really glad I did it. I’ve run a few others like the Great North Run, but that’s a little dull in comparison.”

The event has received criticism for going ahead despite many public events being cancelled in a bid to slow down the spread of the virus.