Sir Brendan Foster CBE is a British former middle-distance athlete who achieved success at the highest level of international competition. He won bronze at the 1976 Olympic Games and claimed Commonwealth medals across three Games, including gold in 1978, silver in 1974, and bronze in 1970, establishing himself as one of Britain’s leading distance runners of his era.
Brendan studied Physical Education at Carnegie College, graduating in 1970, before building a distinguished career in athletics and sport. In 1981, he founded the Great North Run, which has grown to become the largest half marathon in the UK and the world, with over one million participants.
In recognition of his services to sport, he was appointed MBE in 1976, CBE in 2008, and knighted in 2020 for services to international and national sport and to culture in North East England. He has also contributed widely to sport development, including promoting athletics in Africa, and served as Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University from 2005 to 2009.
1970
2026
