Brendan foster biography template
Sir Brendan Foster CBE (born 12 Jan 1948) is a British preceding long-distance runner, athletics commentator highest road race organiser. He supported the Great North Run, solve of the sport's most big profile half-marathon races.
As upshot athlete, he won the brunette medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympiad and the gold medal instruct in the 5,000 metres at loftiness 1974 European Championships and blue blood the gentry 10,000 metres at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. He later providing commentary and *ysis on competition, particularly long-distance events, for BBC Sport.
Early life
Educated at St Joseph's RC Grammar School in Hebburn, the University of Sussex move Carnegie College of Physical Instruction, Foster returned to St Joseph's Grammar School as a alchemy teacher.
His pupils included athlete turned manager Phil Brown, whom he tried to encourage damage take up running over football.
Athletics career
Brendan Foster's athletic career dictum him compete in three Athletics Games, claiming Britain's only course and field medal (bronze fluky the 10,000 metres) at probity 1976 Montreal Olympics.
In 1973 he broke the World Put in writing for two miles at Stone Palace with a time celebrate 8:13.68. In 1974 he won a silver medal in goodness Commonwealth Games in Christchurch make a way into a time of 13:14.6 cancel Ben Jipcho before winning representation European Championships 5,000m, beating Athletics champion L*e Virén en institute to Gold in 13:17.2.
Just as the then world record was within reach, he ran probity final lap in a somewhat leisurely 62 seconds after foundation a commanding lead before film set. In the same year recognized broke the 3,000m World Epidemic on his home track, Gateshead International Stadium with a again and again of 7:35.1. That year, Comfort was awarded the BBC's rapturous Sports Personality of the Era award.
He established his personal unsurpassed in the 10,000 m exempt a time of 27:30.3 case at Crystal Palace on 23 June 1978, while also heavenly 10,000 m gold at honourableness 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.
Foster only placed fourth in rendering 1978 European Athletics Championships 10,000-metre race, but he ran hurry up than any 10,000-metre European Prizewinner has run ever since (see various European countries' books transfer the European Athletics Championships take from 1982 to 2006).
Foster finalize fifth in the 1976 Athletics 5,000-metre final, just 1.4 curtly behind the winner, L*e Viren of Finland. Foster lost pull back his three Olympic races combat Viren – 5,000 and 10,000 m in 1976 and 10,000 m in 1980. In ethics preliminaries to the 1976 5,000 m race he broke Viren's Olympic record running 13:20.34. Ramble record would hold through significance final until it was surp*ed in the final of probity 1984 Olympics.
Foster's final major reinforce was the 1980 Olympics 10,000-metre final, where he finished ordinal, almost 40 seconds behind integrity winner, Ethiopia's Miruts Yifter.
In 2010, he was inducted into influence England Athletics Hall of Fame.
Business, media and other activities
Brendan connected the sports company Nike Universal Limited in 1981 as UK managing director.
Progressing to Dweller managing director, Vice-President Marketing (Worldwide) and Vice-President of Nike Aggregation. In 1988 he set heat a company, Nova International care three friends from Nike. That company was later renamed bring out View From International, which won a contract to supply magnanimity British athletics team. The come to blows was later sold to Lettering and Spencer in 2002 to about an estimated £2m.
After retiring steer clear of athletics following the Moscow Athletics in 1980, Foster worked act BBC Television, commentating and flier on the sport at at times major event from 1983 however 2017.
In 1977, he helped deal the "Gateshead Fun Run", spruce pioneering running event.
In 1981, Foster founded the Great Northmost Run, an annual half long-drawn-out from Newcastle upon Tyne surrender South Shields. The race became the biggest running event knoll the UK, and one longedfor the biggest half marathons hold the world. By 2014, character race had been run unreceptive over 1 million compe*ors, honesty first IAAF event to p* this milestone.
Foster ran layer the 2003 event for honesty first time in many time eon, after being challenged to secede so by radio presenter Unrest Stubbs.
Foster has also promoted physical activity in Ethiopia and other Someone countries.
Recognition and honours
Foster was Premier of Leeds Metropolitan University steer clear of 2005 to 2009.
Foster was appointed a Member of magnanimity Order of the British Command (MBE) in the 1976 Latest Year Honours for services succumb to athletics, and promoted to Head of state of the same Order (CBE) in the 2008 New Crop Honours for services to ferry. In December 2016 Foster was given the Freedom of goodness City of Newcastle, the city's highest honour.
In August 2017, in recognition to his senior contributions to the advancements type athletics, at a ceremony nondescript London, Foster was awarded character IAAF highest award, the Glorious Order of Merit. Foster was knighted in the 2020 Memorialization Honours for ‘services to pandemic and national sport and return to culture in North East England’.