Friday 2 February 2018
Four time Olympic champion and BBC Sports Personality of the Year Sir Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins, fourth in the 2017 World Championships, have been confirmed as the star names in the men's elite field that also features Daniel Wanjiru (Kenya), winner of the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon. The women's and wheelchair fields will be announced shortly. The race also serves as one of the very last opportunities for athletes to achieve qualifying times for the British team ahead of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
The event’s guiding principle is to be “Truly Global yet Uniquely Local". The Vitality Big Half will be much more than a mass participation running event with the world's best athletes and thousands of mass runners. It will be a street party of epic proportions and it aims to inspire participation from a variety of socio-economic groups, faiths, ages, ethnicities and to become the first sports event whose participants truly represent London's diverse population. To help bring people together, Vitality will also be title sponsor of the Vitality Big Festival in Greenwich, which will feature a huge range of food, music and entertainment, including performances from community groups and fun activities and fitness classes for the whole family to enjoy
Additionally, to encourage as many people as possible to participate, Vitality will be the Official Wellness Partner of The Little Half and The Big Relay. The Little Half is for runners of all ages and abilities and will be held on a 2.4 mile route from Southwark Park to the stunning Finish Line by the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. The Big Relay is aimed at community groups from the four host boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich. Participants run in teams of four with each person running one leg over distances ranging from one mile to five miles
Nick Read, Commercial Director at Vitality, said: "At Vitality we want to encourage people whatever their level of fitness to lead a healthier life, which is why we partner with leading sports events, teams and athletes to help share our message. The Vitality Big Half promises to be an event like no other and we are thrilled to be its title sponsor. We believe that sport is a brilliant way to bring people with different backgrounds together, and the Vitality Big Half‘s aim to both encourage activity at a grassroots level and as a chance for elite athletes to qualify for the British Team is something that we are very excited about."
Hugh Brasher, Event Director at The Big Half, said: "Vitality is the perfect partner for The Big Half. Vitality's mission is to encourage everyone to lead a healthier life and The Big Half was created for that purpose. Together we aim to create the first sports event whose participants truly represent London's diverse population. The Vitality Big Half will feature participants from a variety of socio-economic groups, faiths, ages, ethnicities with many taking part in their first mass participation event."
For more information and to enter the Little Half, please visit: https://www.thebighalf.co.uk/how-enter/online-entry/
ENDS
Vitality becomes title sponsor of new London half marathon
- The Vitality Big Half is a new half marathon taking place in London
- Sir Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins lead men's elite field
Vitality, the health and life insurer, today announces it will be the title sponsor of The Big Half, a new half marathon taking place in London on Sunday 4th March.
The 2018 Vitality Big Half, which is organised by London Marathon Events, will see runners of all levels racing past some of London's most iconic landmarks, including Tower Bridge and the Cutty Sark. The event is accessible, affordable and fun, and celebrates London's diverse communities in a way that no other sports event has done before. Working in partnership with Sported, the sports development charity, the Vitality Big Half will demonstrate how sport and the community can get together to inspire social change, create social cohesion and improve health and wellbeing.Four time Olympic champion and BBC Sports Personality of the Year Sir Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins, fourth in the 2017 World Championships, have been confirmed as the star names in the men's elite field that also features Daniel Wanjiru (Kenya), winner of the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon. The women's and wheelchair fields will be announced shortly. The race also serves as one of the very last opportunities for athletes to achieve qualifying times for the British team ahead of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
The event’s guiding principle is to be “Truly Global yet Uniquely Local". The Vitality Big Half will be much more than a mass participation running event with the world's best athletes and thousands of mass runners. It will be a street party of epic proportions and it aims to inspire participation from a variety of socio-economic groups, faiths, ages, ethnicities and to become the first sports event whose participants truly represent London's diverse population. To help bring people together, Vitality will also be title sponsor of the Vitality Big Festival in Greenwich, which will feature a huge range of food, music and entertainment, including performances from community groups and fun activities and fitness classes for the whole family to enjoy
Additionally, to encourage as many people as possible to participate, Vitality will be the Official Wellness Partner of The Little Half and The Big Relay. The Little Half is for runners of all ages and abilities and will be held on a 2.4 mile route from Southwark Park to the stunning Finish Line by the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. The Big Relay is aimed at community groups from the four host boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich. Participants run in teams of four with each person running one leg over distances ranging from one mile to five miles
Nick Read, Commercial Director at Vitality, said: "At Vitality we want to encourage people whatever their level of fitness to lead a healthier life, which is why we partner with leading sports events, teams and athletes to help share our message. The Vitality Big Half promises to be an event like no other and we are thrilled to be its title sponsor. We believe that sport is a brilliant way to bring people with different backgrounds together, and the Vitality Big Half‘s aim to both encourage activity at a grassroots level and as a chance for elite athletes to qualify for the British Team is something that we are very excited about."
Hugh Brasher, Event Director at The Big Half, said: "Vitality is the perfect partner for The Big Half. Vitality's mission is to encourage everyone to lead a healthier life and The Big Half was created for that purpose. Together we aim to create the first sports event whose participants truly represent London's diverse population. The Vitality Big Half will feature participants from a variety of socio-economic groups, faiths, ages, ethnicities with many taking part in their first mass participation event."
For more information and to enter the Little Half, please visit: https://www.thebighalf.co.uk/how-enter/online-entry/
ENDS