England International to take on BUPA Great Birmingham Run.

Inspirational ultra runner Steve Way came to the Midlands this week to officially announce his entry for the Bupa Great Birmingham Run on Sunday October 19th.

Steve, who at the age of 40 came tenth for England in the Commonwealth Games marathon, spent some of his time in Brindleyplace, passing on his expert advice to a group of amateur runners who are also preparing for the half marathon.

Seven years ago, Steve, then 33, gave up his twenty cigarettes a day habit and took up running to get healthy and lose weight. Seven months after making the decision to get fit and give up his vices, he clocked 2:35.26 in the London Marathon and finished 100th.

Steve said: “My advice to anybody that’s stepping up to the half marathon distance for the first time is to get some consistency to their training; if you’ve committed to running two or three times a week, stick to it, enjoy yourself on the day and don’t go off too fast! The atmosphere at a Great Run is fantastic, and it’s so inclusive – from the elite runners at the front to the charity runners and first timers, it’s always a special day.”

Organisers are expecting a record field in excess of the 20,000 runners who took part in the 2013 run and entries are expected to close in the next 10 days.

The Bupa Great Birmingham Run is now the second biggest half marathon in the UK and also features a mini and junior events for children aged from 3-16. To register go to: www.greatrun.org/birmingham