Dave Bedford Happy With London Marathon Mix of Celebrity and Elite
Race director Dave Bedford has denied the London Marathon is losing its way in a maze of celebrity couples and banana costumes.
The 29th London Marathon takes over the capital's streets once more tomorrow but despite the prospect of world and Olympic champions running a course-record time, the shortage of elite British interest continues to cast a shadow over the race.
When Paula Radcliffe, the world record holder, broke a toe last month the home interest was left with Mara Yamauchi, who finished sixth in the Beijing Olympic final, and Tomas Abyu, ranked outside the top 250 marathon runners last year. Last week Brendan Foster accused the London Marathon of failing in its objective of nurturing British endurance running, but the race director and former 10,000m world record holder, Dave Bedford, yesterday denied that the event is losing its way in a maze of celebrity couples and banana costumes.
"There is nothing Mickey Mouse about having world record holders and Olympic champions and world champions competing," said Bedford. "The Mickey Mouse bit is something else way down the field and you cannot link this issue with that fact that British runners are not performing."
The elite fields may be impressive, but when the press conferences were held this week by far the largest turnout was for the celebrity runners Katie Price and Peter Andre.
"We need the celebrity side of things so we hit the newspapers and people who aren't directly interested in the sporting bit," said Bedford. "I think it's the combination and the mix – and really, without the elite field, arguably stronger this year than the Olympic line-up, we wouldn't have the TV coverage we have."
Bedford conceded that elite distance running in this country is in a poor state. "It was only five years ago that Paula Radcliffe was the first Briton home, male or female – if that's not an indictment I don't know what is. That may sound sexist but in distance running that is a sad state of affairs."
At the head of the men's field the pacemakers have been instructed to run at a pace of 2hr 4min, which would eclipse the course record of 2:05.15 run by Martin Lel last April.
The Kenyan has struggled with a minor hip injury this week and returns to London after managing only fifth place at the Olympics. Those who could scupper his chances this time include Kenya's Olympic gold medallist Samuel Wanjiru, Jaouad Gharib of Morocco – the silver medallist in Beijing – and Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede, who took bronze last summer. Another threat is Zersenay Tadese, the Eritrean who became a national hero when he won his country's first ever Olympic medal in 2004 by taking bronze over 10,000m.
In the women's event the Olympic champion Constantina Dita arrives having failed in London on her seven previous attempts. Challenging her for the title are Catherine Ndereba, of Kenya, who took gold at the last world championships and silvers at the last two Olympic Games, Germany's defending champion Irina Mikitenko, China's Zhou Chunxiu who took bronze in Beijing, and the 35-year-old Yamauchi.
The Briton, a former Foreign and Commonwealth diplomat based in Tokyo, claimed this week that a top-three finish was within her grasp, specifying a time of 2hr 22min, three minutes inside her best. She has claimed that living in Japan, where marathon running is taken very seriously, has motivated her to train harder.
The wheelchair race can provide some home comfort. Shelley Woods finished just outside the medals, claiming fourth place in Beijing to go with the silver and bronze medals she won over the shorter distances, while David Weir – who was too exhausted to take part in the Beijing marathon – sets out to defend the London title he has won for the past three years.
Bedford confirmed yesterday that the London Marathon will know by the end of next month whether they will be invited by Locog to organize London's 2012 Olympic and Paralympic marathon events.
When Paula Radcliffe, the world record holder, broke a toe last month the home interest was left with Mara Yamauchi, who finished sixth in the Beijing Olympic final, and Tomas Abyu, ranked outside the top 250 marathon runners last year. Last week Brendan Foster accused the London Marathon of failing in its objective of nurturing British endurance running, but the race director and former 10,000m world record holder, Dave Bedford, yesterday denied that the event is losing its way in a maze of celebrity couples and banana costumes.
"There is nothing Mickey Mouse about having world record holders and Olympic champions and world champions competing," said Bedford. "The Mickey Mouse bit is something else way down the field and you cannot link this issue with that fact that British runners are not performing."
The elite fields may be impressive, but when the press conferences were held this week by far the largest turnout was for the celebrity runners Katie Price and Peter Andre.
"We need the celebrity side of things so we hit the newspapers and people who aren't directly interested in the sporting bit," said Bedford. "I think it's the combination and the mix – and really, without the elite field, arguably stronger this year than the Olympic line-up, we wouldn't have the TV coverage we have."
Bedford conceded that elite distance running in this country is in a poor state. "It was only five years ago that Paula Radcliffe was the first Briton home, male or female – if that's not an indictment I don't know what is. That may sound sexist but in distance running that is a sad state of affairs."
At the head of the men's field the pacemakers have been instructed to run at a pace of 2hr 4min, which would eclipse the course record of 2:05.15 run by Martin Lel last April.
The Kenyan has struggled with a minor hip injury this week and returns to London after managing only fifth place at the Olympics. Those who could scupper his chances this time include Kenya's Olympic gold medallist Samuel Wanjiru, Jaouad Gharib of Morocco – the silver medallist in Beijing – and Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede, who took bronze last summer. Another threat is Zersenay Tadese, the Eritrean who became a national hero when he won his country's first ever Olympic medal in 2004 by taking bronze over 10,000m.
In the women's event the Olympic champion Constantina Dita arrives having failed in London on her seven previous attempts. Challenging her for the title are Catherine Ndereba, of Kenya, who took gold at the last world championships and silvers at the last two Olympic Games, Germany's defending champion Irina Mikitenko, China's Zhou Chunxiu who took bronze in Beijing, and the 35-year-old Yamauchi.
The Briton, a former Foreign and Commonwealth diplomat based in Tokyo, claimed this week that a top-three finish was within her grasp, specifying a time of 2hr 22min, three minutes inside her best. She has claimed that living in Japan, where marathon running is taken very seriously, has motivated her to train harder.
The wheelchair race can provide some home comfort. Shelley Woods finished just outside the medals, claiming fourth place in Beijing to go with the silver and bronze medals she won over the shorter distances, while David Weir – who was too exhausted to take part in the Beijing marathon – sets out to defend the London title he has won for the past three years.
Bedford confirmed yesterday that the London Marathon will know by the end of next month whether they will be invited by Locog to organize London's 2012 Olympic and Paralympic marathon events.
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