Brendan Foster

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Image:Olympic-rings.png
Bronze medal	1976 Montréal	Athletics Men's 10.000 metres

Brendan Foster (born 12 January, 1948 in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear, England) is a British former distance runner, and the founder of the Great North Run. He was educated at St Joseph's Grammar School, and the University of Sussex.

Foster's athletic career saw him compete in three Olympic Games, claiming Britain's only track and field medal (bronze in the 10,000 meters) at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In 1974 he won the European Championships 5000m, beating Olympic champion Lasse Viren en route to Gold. In the same year he also broke the 3000m World Record on his home track, Gateshead Stadium. That year, Foster was awarded the BBC's prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award.

He also won 10000m Gold at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, and in 1973 broke the World Record for 2 Miles at Crystal Palace. Foster was awarded the MBE in 1976.

Since retiring from the sport after the Moscow Olympics in 1980, Foster has worked for BBC Television, commentating and reporting on Athletics at every major event since 1983.

In 1981, Foster founded the Great North Run. The 2005 race was the 25th staging of the event, in which over half a million people have taken part over the years. The event regularly attracts over 50,000 entry applications. In 2003, Brendan ran the Great North Run himself for the first time in many years after an on air challenge from Ray Stubbs of the BBC at the 2002 event.

Foster is also the Managing Director of Nova International, and Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University

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