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Benita bounces back for Great North Run - 18/9/09
2004 world cross country champion Benita Willis (formerly Johnson) will take a major step forward from a frustrating run of foot injuries to compete in the Bupa Great North Run – the world’s biggest half marathon - this Sunday.
Willis will join a record 54,000 participants on the start line, cheered on by more than 150,000 spectators expected to converge on Newcastle-Gateshead in the north east of England.
The event is such an icon in the UK that music legend Sting will be making a rare appearance, and in conjunction with cricketer Steve Harmison, who was part of the England Ashes cricket winning team, will be the honorary starter for the 29th staging of Britain’s biggest mass participation sporting event.
Australia has a strong connection with the Great North Run with Steve Moneghetti, Rob de Castella, Lisa Martin and Willis herself in 2004 all tasting success over the years.
This year she will once again face a world-class field which includes former world 10,000m and half marathon champion Berhane Adhere of Ethiopia.
“I think the Great North Run is the hardest half marathon in the world to win,” said Willis.
“I love racing against the top athletes but also having 50,000 people behind you which love the same sport that you do.”
The Great North Run heads up the prestigious global Great Run series of which the Great Australian Run is now an integral part, with other international Great Run events staged in Ireland, Ethiopia and Zambia as well as throughout the UK.
Willis, who placed fifth in last year’s inaugural Great Australian Run, has confirmed that she will return to compete in the 15km event on Sunday 29th November in Melbourne.
Willis will join a soon-to-be-announced international elite field which will head thousands of weekend runners, joggers and walkers around the picturesque course which starts and finishes in Albert Park.
“I really enjoyed the race last year but I was really disappointed with the fact that I wasn’t running as well as I could have.
“Last year I took away a lot of motivation to come back this year and be right up there, be competitive, and get out a performance which I know I’m capable of.
“The Great Australian Run will only be a couple of weeks out from the Commonwealth Games 10km selection trials (Zatopek) so I know I’m going to be in good shape.
“I rarely get to run big races in Australia, and it’s a really good opportunity for me to run in front of my home crowd. I want the Australian public to see me running at my best, because I’m always running my best over in Europe.”
Last year, Willis took the hard road to the Beijing Olympics. A marriage breakdown, the death of her father and series of injuries all took their toll on the 2004 world cross country champion.
Yet despite the odds, she managed to finish 11th in the world cross-country championships in April and 21st in the marathon in Beijing – a true test of her strong character.
The 30-year-old has once again faced challenges in 2009, battling various foot injuries which forced her to miss the Australian season, allowed her to only compete in a handful of European meets and miss selection for the Australian team for last month’s world championships.
Yet this only makes Willis more determined.
“I haven’t looked back since April. All my training has been going well, I’ve just been out of racing for so long, it just takes a while to get on your feet and get used to competitive running.”
“I want to get back to where I was before. Every day I wake up really excited about what I’m going to do.
“I feel like I’m on the rise and I’m getting better with ever race. I’ve got a long career ahead of me.”
Catch all of the colour, action and excitement from the 2009 Bupa Great North Run on ONE this Wednesday (September 23) from 9:30am.