Rivalry reignites as Birmingham takes on the Poms – Great Australian Run

 

After having the Ashes urn snatched away last month on the cricket pitch, national pride will be on the line for Australian 10,000m record holder Collis Birmingham and his 25 team mates when they take on arch-rival England in the first ever head-to-head street athletics match this weekend.

The battle between England and Australia moves to the streets of Newcastle-Gateshead in the north-east of England as one of the feature lead up events to the Bupa Great North Run – the world’s biggest half marathon.

The Great North Run heads up the prestigious global Great Run series of which the Great Australian Run is now an integral part, with other international Great Run events staged in Ireland, Ethiopia and Zambia as well as throughout the UK.

Birmingham who placed third in last year’s inaugural Great Australian Run behind the great Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia, has confirmed he will return to compete in the 15km event on November 29 in Melbourne.

Birmingham will join a soon-to-be-announced international elite field which will head thousands of weekend runners, joggers and walkers around the picturesque course which starts and finishes in Albert Park.

“The Great Australian Run will be my first race back next season, looking ahead to the Commonwealth Games,” said Birmingham.

“That time of season is all about strength. The 15km run on the road is the perfect event to get me strong and fit. In between stints up at Falls Creek, it will help build another layer on to the fitness I’ve already got this year.”

“It was definitely a career highlight for me to compete against the great man Gebreselassie at the Great Australian Run last year.

“I ran really well and managed to beat Buster (Craig Mottram) for the first time in my career.

“I ran a fairly decent time for 15km on the road and just competing in Melbourne was great fun, I had a family and friends and lots of great support right around the course.”

Competing over the Bupa Great North mile this Saturday, Birmingham will face a tough test against a strong England line up which includes Olympic and world 1500m finalist Andy Baddeley and 2009 European indoor 3000m champion Mo Farah.

“Baddeley beat me last week over my distance (5km at Great Capital Run in London) so I’m really keen to beat him over his distance this Saturday.

“We want to win. As it’s a team event, we’ll work together and try and get the job done.

“There will be a few turns on the course, so we’re not really worried about times, more about making sure were ahead of as many Poms as we can be!”

Birmingham is bringing to a close what has been a breakthrough season for the 24-year-old, with personal best times over 1500m, the mile and 5000m this year and in April secured the Australian 10,000m record, stopping the clock in 27:29.73 in Berkeley, California.

Last month he contested both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the world championships in Berlin, making his first world championships final over the shorter distance.

Taking the sport out of the traditional stadium format, the Great North City Games will feature an athletics track (shot put, 150m track, pole vault, one/two miles, long jump) set up in the Millennium bridge precinct, bringing the sport of athletics to a whole new audience.

Olympic and world 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu, world 1500m silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey and world 800m bronze medallist Jenny Meadows headline the strong English team.

Catch all the action from the Great North City Games on ONE this Sunday from 11.45am, followed by the Bupa Great North Run on Wednesday (September 23) at 9:30am.