Organisers say Great South Run set to go ahead in Southsea tomorrow

Storm Brian makes its presence felt along the Southsea front today.

Picture: Keith Woodland (171277-0059) — Storm Brian makes its presence felt along the Southsea front today. Picture: Keith Woodland (171277-0059)

The organisers - who had to cancel today’s events including the mini, junior, wheelchair and 5k events - have released a statement saying that the 10-mile main event is due to go ahead as planned.

More than 20,000 people are set to take part.

It is hoped that Storm Brian - which has disrupted transport and caused damage across the region - will have calmed down.

Paralysed fundraiser Claire Lomas MBE who is aiming to walk the 10-mile course over 24 hours in a revolutionary ReWalk suit will start her challenge at 10:05am on Sunday, finishing on Monday morning on Clarence Esplanade.

Great Britain’s Chris Thompson will defend his Simplyhealth Great South Run title after the 36-year-old scored a memorable victory on the Southsea coast last year.

In the women’s race, Charlotte Purdue and Gemma Steel will battle it out for honours.

The event offers the opportunity to run through Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, passing landmarks such as HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose Museum.

The event is shown live on Channel 5 from 10am until midday and will be presented by Radzi Chinyanganya and Helen Skelton.

For more information about the Simplyhealth Great South Run, visit: Greatrun.org/South