Duracell Announces Duracell Bunny Line-up

Duracell has announced its line-up of former athletes that will be taking on the ‘Duracell Bunny Challenge’ at this year’s Simplyhealth Great Run Series, becoming Duracell Bunny pacers to help thousands of runners go further for longer.

Olympic medallists Kelly Sotherton, Jason Gardener and Iwan Thomas will be the latest runners to don the Duracell Running Bunny ears as they compete at races throughout the series of mass participation events. The pacers will be tasked with running further than they have ever done during their careers and helping power participants to safely finish their race.

As well as going for longer, the trio will also compete against each other to see who can get closest to their allocated pacing time at their respective events.

Birmingham-based heptathlete Kelly will kick start the ‘Duracell Bunny Challenge’ at the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham 10k on Sunday 30^th April.

Jason, now president of UK Athletics, will be tasked with going from 100m to 10,000m by becoming a pacer at the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run on Sunday 28^th May, marking a return to the city 15 years after his Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning triumph there.

Iwan, still British 400m record holder, will take on the Simplyhealth Great North Run in September and the 10 mile Simplyhealth Great South Run in October.

The Duracell Bunny pacers have been a cornerstone of series sponsor Duracell’s campaign since partnering with the Simplyhealth Great Run Series in 2016, with more than 100 individuals performing the role last year – including Ryan McLeod, son of the first winner of the Great North Run, Mike McLeod, for the first time ever at the Simplyhealth Great North Run.

Brendan Foster, former Olympic bronze medallist and founder of the Simplyhealth Great Run Series said: “It’s fantastic to see the Duracell Bunny pacers continuing into the series this year, and fitting that Kelly, Jason and Iwan are going to be helping inspire other runners while taking on the ‘Duracell Bunny Challenge’ to go for longer than they’re used to. As always, we’ll be ensuring that the pacers more familiar with the distance will also be on hand to communicate their knowledge.”

Kelly Sotherton added: “It’s a great honour to be pacing during this year’s Great Birmingham 10k, and taking on the ‘Duracell Bunny Challenge’ in my home town makes it even more special. While 800m is the longest distance I used to run in the heptathlon, I’m confident about going for longer at the Birmingham 10k and I hope the other guys can manage to do the same. I’ll be helping to pace with some brilliant experienced Duracell Bunnies who can hopefully share some of their knowledge to get me through it. I also can’t wait to beat Jason and Iwan with my pacing time.”