Bristol runners enjoy half marathon success

(L to R) Loriel Anderson, Jessica Priestley, Leo Borrie, Qussei Buhidma, with Professor Robert Fowler, Director of the Institute

Press release issued: 12 September 2011

A team of runners, sponsored by the Institute of Greece, Rome and the Classical Tradition at the University of Bristol, successfully completed the Bristol Half Marathon on Sunday 11 September.

Loriel Anderson, Jessica Priestley, Leo Borrie, Qussei Buhidma and Colin Elliott were running to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary year of the very first marathon and to raise £2,500 for a new charity called Classics for All, which aims to increase access to Classics tuition in state schools around the country.

All members of the team completed the race, with Qussei achieving the fastest time of 1.50.55.

So far, the team has raised £665 for Classics for All. To help them reach their target, please visit their Just Giving sponsorship page.

The first marathon was supposedly run by Philippides, a Greek messenger, who, having fought in the Battle of Marathon in 490BC, ran non-stop from the battlefield to Athens to bring news of the Greeks’ victory.