The Great Scottish Run

Known as the largest mass participating sporting event with a record breaking 23,386 participants in 2010, The Great Scottish run is looking to increase this number yet again this year and to keep it growing from year to year. The race which is taking place on the 4th of September this year has already been shortlisted as a finalist for the Sport indsusty awards 'Sport participation event of the year' after the record breaking participation level in 2010. Both the 10k and the half marathon will take off from st George's Square with runners expected to be taking part from all over the world. Last year it was reported there was runners from as far a field as Ethiopia and Austria.
Each year the course of the race is adapted to ensure is kept interesting and can be made faster. Usually though both races start in George Square and heads down to SECC, over the Kingston Bridge and after this part of the course the two races seperate. The half marathon normally then heads out to bellahouston park then to Pollock courty park and then back towards Glasgow Green where both of the races end.
Entry just now is at the early bird rate in which you can enter the 2011 race at the 2010 race prices and this deal is available until the 24th of June to try and encourage early entries. In this package, a free t-shirt and finishing medel.
The Great Scottish Run has a host os sponsors including STV and the Sun newspaper along with many others who help support the run.
Many who take part in the run are sponsored to take part in the race and in doing so raise a large amount of money for the supported charities. On the day of the race many charities are represented from small in known charities to the bigger more recognised charity names.
In the Great Scottish Run, participants of all abilities and speeds are encouraged to take part and in particular, thoes walking or power walking are asked to enter, however they are warned that thay should not take part unless they have followed a training programme or have walked the set distance before. This makes the event a great success as many walk, jog and run the event just to have a great day and raise money for some fantastic causes.
On the day of the Race many roads are closed to enable all the runners to comeplete the course in the safest of conditions and so that the sheer amount of competitiors are accounted for. The picture below shows one half a motorway in the city closed and the hundreds of runners taking up the entire road. This shows just the great amount that do take part and the organising that goes into the run.

With just 151 days until the event, the entries will be beginning to be sent in and training will be in full swing. Its a wonder if the 2011 Bank of Scotland's Great Scottish Run will have record breaking entries this year. The 4th of September will be the day to see if sporting levels in Scotland are increasing and if more and more people will take part in Scotland's largest mass participation event.