Sunshine and smiles as 14,000 runners take part in Great Birmingham Run

Sunshine beamed down over Birmingham as more than 14,000 runners took to the city's streets for the Great Birmingham Run.

From Broad Street to Smithfied, the city was awash with a kaleidoscope of coloured kits as participants of all ages and abilities took on their mammoth challenges.

Runners took part in both the 10k and half marathon events and were able to take in the inspiring sights and support all along the routes.

More than 25,000 spectators lined the route for fist-bumps, high-fives and the occasional jelly baby sweet.

Paul Foster, chief executing of the Great Run Company, said: "We're very excited about today.

"People from allover Birmingham and the West Midlands have been coming to take part. We've sold out the event for the first time in a few years.

"It should be really exciting for everybody taking part and the sun and the weather are doing their bit as well.

"We've hundreds of kids taking part in the mini and junior races as well across the city and I'm really excited about the day.

"There is going to be millions and millions of pounds raise for charities and it's just a fabulous day of excitement in Birmingham."

The Orange half marathon and 10k wave got underway from 9.30am, Green started at 9.50am and that was followed by the Pink wave at 10.10am.

The routes started in Centenary Square, before heading into the Jewellery Quarter, round St Paul's Square, back towards Paradise Circus, Birmingham New Street, before looping round and finish in Smithfield.

Helen Ryvar, 43, is the currently Guinness World Record holder for running the most consecutive half marathons.

She said: "I ran 111 back in 2021 and I'm currently on my second streak and I'm on day 736 today so I'll be running all of the AJ Bell races as part of my streak.

"I'm running to raise money for various charities following the death of loved ones including my ex-husband and my father during the streak so I've run and raised more than £5,000 for the charity MIND so far and now I'm running for Cancer Research UK.

"Everyone's been touched by cancer or knows somebody that's been touched by cancer, so I want to give back by again people just helping themselves by getting out and joining these great communities like the running community."

Claire Lomas also took part in the event today with her team, including her parents.

She was the first paralysed person to walk a marathon using an exoskeleton suit, taking 17 days in 2012.

Her fundraising challenges have now raised more than £850k to help cure paralysis.

She has become one of the world's most inspirational women and female motivational speakers.

She said: "Looking forward to another challenge taking on the 10K today with my lovely team and raising money for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation which means so much to me having had a spinal injury myself.

"I always love the great run events, I've done quite a few of them now and I've done a lot of fundraising over the years.

"So keep trying to get my total up a bit, I'm close to a million pounds raised now. So I keep pushing on and today's part of that.

"It's always an incredible feeling, the support you get when you are out there is very different to the training that you do on your own. We've got a beautiful day for it, it's quite warm, but to be honest I'm just pleased to see the sunshine after this year."

Hundreds of energetic youngsters tackled the daring 1.5km dash for Minis, while Juniors aged 9-15 tackles the 2.5km supercharged sprint through the city centre.

This year’s Bank Holiday Weekend event featured a Race within a Race as England took on Wales with more than 200 runners running the 10k as part of the International Age Group Masters Match – representing either England or Wales.

These runners have had to qualify to be part of this international match across five qualifying events.

Local and national charities will benefit with hundreds of thousands of pounds raised for causes close to runners’ hearts.

Among these will be Cancer Research UK, University Hospitals Birmingham Charity, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, St Giles Hospice and the British Heart Foundation, plus dozens of other charities with special meaning to those taking part.

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