How many sports give you the chance to compete with the best?

Chris Thompson with Nova Elite Athlete Manager, Pete Riley

32,000 runners will be lining up for the BUPA Great Manchester run this Sunday in the same race as the great Haile Gebrselassie. Most will simply be honoured to be running along the same streets in his wake but one British athlete is hoping to cross the line in front of him.

Chris Thompson is based in America but has returned home for the race that he has done twice before in 2008 and 2009.

"I like this race. It's great fun and easy to do. The organisers on the Nova team put on a great event. They have set up great bunch of guys to race against. It's a great course and pretty cool to run past Old Trafford!"

Thompson says that he aims to run a fast, hard race and give it his best. He is honoured that people are talking about him winning the race and said "Gebrselassie hasn't lost a race since 1994 when I was only 13! He's had that record for a while but I won't shy away from giving it my best shot. I have run against him in Manchester before but this is the first time my name has been mentioned alongside him."

Thompson has recently run his best time for 10,000m on the track, He ran 27:27 ten days ago and that puts him back into 3rd place on the all time list, knocking Mo Farah into 4th, so he knows he is in good shape. He will be hoping for the same sort of support from the other runners that he remembers from 2008 and 2009. "You feel like you're the only one in the race to half way and then on the way back you see all the other runners. It's so cool to hear them shout you on. They're willing you on and it's like a team race or on a mass run. I love the fact that everyone is racing Geb and everyone else. Just because we're not standing next to each other, everyone is in that race and that's pretty cool to say you've raced Geb!"

Thompson is hoping the blustery weather conditions will continue until Sunday. "Tricky conditions will suit me. Geb likes to run from the front but poor weather would make that hard for him!"

Andy his top tips for race preparation?

"Resting up for the next two days and then porridge,  yoghurt and fruit for breakfast on race day. Porridge is slow burning, yoghurt gives you protein to help while you're running and for recovery afterwards and fruit just to flush the system through. The race is at 10.30 so I will eat two hours before, I'll get up at 8 and eat at 8.30"

Helen tucking in behind her training partner in Font Romeu

Helen Clitheroe will lead British hopes in the women's race. Helen, who is 37, seems to be in the shape of her life and won gold at the Eruopean Indoor Championships for the 3,000m ealier this year. She is fresh back from altitude training in the Pyrenees. She raced in Lucerne, Switzerland last Saturday and ran the 4.25km course 40 seconds faster than last year. She is disappointed to hear that Charlotte Purdue has had to pull out of this weekend's race but is looking foward to racing Berhane Adere who is a former World Champion over 10,000m and Grace Momanyi who won the Commonwealth Games 10,000m last year.

Helen has lots of experience competing over the shorter distances but has gradually increased the volume of her training to prepare for the 10km distance. "I'm really pleased with how my training is going. I'm taking things one step at a time. After all, I used to be a 1500m runner!"

Del.icio.us Digg reddit Facebook Stumbleupon