26,000 runners take part in record-breaking Great South Run in sunny Portsmouth

The weather held out for the biggest Great South Run in history today, as 26,000 runners lined up at the starting line to run the ten mile course.

Thousands of elite runners, charity fundraisers and first-time racers ran along the city’s streets, starting on Southsea common and heading towards the Historic Dockyard before heading to Eastney before the long home stretch along the seafront.

The sun shone and many reported that the course, which can be notoriously windy, had good conditions all the way around. The atmosphere was fantastic, with the Pompey crowds coming out in their thousands to cheer on the runners throughout the city.

Sign up for our free emails for all of the local news and sport headlines

Lord Mayor Abdul Kadir, who was in charge of operating the starting klaxon for the run, said: “It is so lively, you can't really express how wonderful it is for our city.

“I think we’ve had one of the best turnouts. The weather is fantastic. The Great South Run puts Portsmouth on the map, the international map of the sports itself.”

It was a brilliant day for elite runners. The women’s champion, Hannah Irwin, finished the race in 53 minutes and 34 seconds, taking the lead on last year’s winner Verity Ockenden in the last few hundred meters. Ms Irwin called it “a good battle the whole way”.

Birchfield Harriers’ Kadar Omar took the win for the men’s category, racing round the course in an astonishing 47 minutes 26 seconds.

However, for many, the Great South Run is not about winning or personal bests, but about pushing yourself and raising money for worthy causes. Runners across all of the Great South Run Weekend events have collectively raised over £4million this year.

Kelsey Hayes, who ran the race dressed as one of the Bananas in Pyjamas, said: “I’ve done the race about six or seven times but this is the first time I’ve done it in costume. I am just looking forward to enjoying it as a run today instead of personal bests and all that.

“I've been running for about 10 years, on and off. For the last 1000 days, I've been running every day, usually about 5km or more, doing a run streak for Tommy's, the charity. I reached 1,000 days on Friday, so this run is sort of a celebration, I guess!

“Tommy’s means a lot to me. My wife and I actually lost a child about four years ago. We've since had a son, but the charity means a lot to me because it was there to support me where I needed it.”

Sam Coopland wore a large plastic car costume he borrowed from his child to raise money to buy a jeep for people affected by the recent floods in Nepal.

"I have some friends in Nepal,” he said.

“I've been to Nepal a few times over the years, and they've really struggled with the flooding out there. I'm raising money to buy them a Jeep so they don't have to rent and spend lots of money on renting.

“We're so close. We've got about £6,000 now out of £8500. But it’s also just about having a laugh and raising money for a good cause.

“This is my kid's old vehicle I've managed to put together. Its a bit heavy, a bit like a backpack, but I’ll be alright!”

Sub-lieutenant Issy Vickery represented the Royal Navy on the run. She said: “I was feeling really good until about the 10km mark, and then it became a bit of a hanging-on kind of race, but it was good. The headwind wasn't too bad!

“I think it's lovely down here because you've got a long stretch of the seafront. Lots of my training runs are up and down the seafront, it's great.”

Get access to trustworthy local news for just £5 - sign up for a digital subscription to The News

Many racers said that the Portsmouth crowds were the highlight of the event. Chris Nash, who came from Bournemouth to complete the course, said: “I've done it in about 15 years but I really enjoyed it. It was really busy out there, the crowds were great.

“There's not really a patch on the course that doesn't have people supporting you, so it was fantastic.”

At the finish line, after runners had picked up their medals, thoughts turned to afternoon celebrations. Many race finishers were headed straight to Southsea’s best pubs and restaurants to refuel and celebrate with a hard-earned drink.

City of Portsmouth AC runners said they were headed to street food restaurant Fuego's to celebrate not only their success in the run but also the birthday of teammate Corin.

“I've been nursing an injury all week, but it is my 38th birthday on the 35th anniversary of the Great South Run, so I'm really happy to do that in my home town,” she said.

“I intend to eat birthday cake, and get my free glass of Prosecco from one of the bars with the finish medal!”

The hometown athletics club said the race was “so fun”. One member of the club, Harrison, said: “I think it's nice running in Portsmouth because we live here, we know everyone around, so when you're running, you have the atmosphere of everyone cheering out to you that you know from work or other places.”

“It's just really nice to know that you constantly know someone around the course,” said Corin. “Growing up here, it's quite nice to run past places and faces that you recognise.”

As the final runners cross the finish line, tickets for next year’s Great South Run have now been released. You can buy tickets here.