Great Eastern Run returns to Peterborough after three-year gap

The half marathon will start and end at city's Embankment and the event includes a 5km (3.1 mile) fun run

A runner who has taken part in every Great Eastern Run since it began in 1982 says its return after three years is "great for Peterborough".

The race was cancelled in 2019 because of a security scare and in 2020 and 2021 as a result of Covid restrictions.

Eric Winstone, 71, will jog the half marathon this year due to a knee injury so he can "keep up my record".

Good Running Events director Aaron Murrell said he was expecting more than 4,000 runners to take part.

Eric Winstone says this is his 30th Great Eastern Run, but this year he will jog it due to a knee injury

The 13.1 mile (21km)-course starts and ends outside Peterborough's new university campus building on the Embankment having taken runners through the city centre and out to the suburbs.

Mr Winstone said: "I think it's wonderful that it's back.

"People need an event like this - during Covid a lot of people turned to running who've never run before and we've had increasing numbers at Parkruns."

The retired school principal said the first Great Eastern Run was "right at the beginning of the running boom", but there had been quite a few "gap years" when the race did not take place.

Lucy Worthington, seen here with her husband Carl Nash, will run for Sue Ryder

Two nurses from Sue Ryder Hospice in Peterborough will be running to raise money for the hospice.

Lucy Worthington, who has taken part before, said the event's atmosphere was "fabulous", with people "cheering you on".

"The last time I ran the event someone passed me a donation while I was running, which was brilliant," she said.

Her colleague nurse Becky Eames is also running to raise funds for the hospice

Becky Eames returned to nursing at the hospice last year and said she wanted to raise funds to "support families through".

"It is a really worthwhile thing to do," she said.

Mr Murrell said: "It's been a long time in the planning and we are hoping the runners enjoy the improvements that we have made to the event - good luck to everyone that is taking part."