Brendan Foster facts for kids
Foster at the 1972 Olympics
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Big Bren | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 January 1948 (age 77) Hebburn, South Tyneside, England |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 10 st 10 lb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 1,500 m, 5,000 m, 10,000 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Gateshead Harriers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 1,500 m – 3:37.64 (1974) 5,000 m – 13:14.6 (1974) 10,000 m – 27:30.3 (1978) |
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Medal record
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Sir Brendan Foster (born on 12 January 1948) is a famous British athlete. He was a long-distance runner and later became a sports commentator. He also started a very popular running event called the Great North Run.
As an athlete, Brendan won a bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the 10,000 metres race. He also won gold medals at the 1974 European Championships in Athletics (5,000 metres) and the 1978 Commonwealth Games (10,000 metres). After he stopped competing, he worked for BBC Sport, sharing his knowledge about athletics.
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Brendan Foster's Early Life
Brendan Foster grew up in Hebburn, England. He went to St Joseph's RC Grammar School. Later, he studied at the University of Sussex and Carnegie College.
After finishing his studies, he returned to St Joseph's Grammar School. He worked there as a chemistry teacher. One of his students was Phil Brown, who later became a football manager. Brendan tried to get Phil interested in running instead of football!
Brendan Foster's Running Career
Brendan Foster was a top athlete who competed in three Olympic Games. At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, he won Britain's only track and field medal. This was a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres race.
Breaking World Records
In 1973, Brendan set a new World Record for the two miles race. He ran it in 8 minutes and 13.68 seconds at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
A year later, in 1974, he broke another World Record. This time it was for the 3,000 metres race. He achieved this amazing feat on his home track, Gateshead International Stadium, with a time of 7 minutes and 35.1 seconds.
Winning Medals and Awards
Also in 1974, Brendan won a silver medal at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. He then won the 5,000 metres race at the 1974 European Championships in Athletics. He even beat the Olympic champion, Lasse Virén, to win the gold medal.
Because of his great achievements in 1974, Brendan was given a special award. He won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. This award goes to the top sports person in the UK.
Olympic Challenges
Brendan set his personal best time for the 10,000 metres in 1978. He ran it in 27 minutes and 30.3 seconds at Crystal Palace. In the same year, he won a gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.
He competed against Lasse Viren of Finland many times. Brendan finished fifth in the 5,000 metres final at the 1976 Olympics. He was very close to winning a medal. In the early races of the 1976 Olympics, he even broke Viren's Olympic record for the 5,000 metres.
Brendan's last big race was at the 1980 Olympics. He finished eleventh in the 10,000 metres final. In 2010, Brendan Foster was added to the England Athletics Hall of Fame. This is a special honour for great athletes.
Life After Running
After he stopped competing in 1980, Brendan Foster started a new career. He joined the sports company Nike in 1981. He worked his way up to become the Vice-President of Nike Europe.
In 1988, he started his own company called Nova International. This company later became View From International. It supplied gear to the British athletics team.
Sports Commentator
From 1983 to 2017, Brendan worked for BBC Television. He was a commentator and reporter for athletics events. He shared his expert knowledge with viewers during major competitions.
Founding the Great North Run
In 1977, Brendan helped to organise a fun running event in Gateshead. This led to a much bigger idea. In 1981, he founded the Great North Run. This is an annual half marathon race. It goes from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields.
The Great North Run became the biggest running event in the UK. It is also one of the largest half marathons in the world. By 2014, over 1 million people had finished the race. This was a first for an IAAF event. Brendan even ran in the event himself in 2003!
Brendan has also worked to promote sports in countries like Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.
Awards and Honours
Brendan Foster has received many important awards and honours.
- From 2005 to 2009, he was the Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University.
- In 1976, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to athletics.
- In 2008, he was promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE) for his services to sport.
- In December 2016, he received the Freedom of the City of Newcastle. This is the highest honour a city can give.
- In August 2017, he received the Golden Order of Merit from the IAAF. This is the highest award from the world athletics body.
- In 2020, Brendan Foster was made a Knight. He received this honour for his great contributions to sports and culture in North East England.
