Athletics: Tergat challenge spurs Brown for run on home turf

The world marathon record holder Paul Tergat will be the big attraction when the first Great Yorkshire Run takes place in Sheffield on 9 September.

The Kenyan, the winner of five successive IAAF cross-country titles and two Olympic 10,000 metres silver medals, is the top name in the field competing over 10km. Britain's No 1 distance runner Jon Brown has also confirmed he will travel from Vancouver for the meeting.

Matthew Turnbull, the event's elite athletes director, said: "It's certainly all systems go at the moment and it was a very busy weekend for me getting the pair signed up.

"Jon was delighted to be offered an invitation to run on his home territory after completing his first serious race on Sunday in the Great Wales Run for eight months," he added.

Brown, who has twice finished fourth in the Olympic marathon, was testing his fitness after a mystery respiratory problem developed on the morning of the London Marathon in April and he was rushed to hospital.

The illness seriously interrupted Brown's training schedule, also forcing his withdrawal from the World Championships later this month. He said: "Obviously I have quite of bit of work to do and I haven't run so hard for a long, long time.

"But I feel I'm on the way back and if I were to have a race next weekend I'm sure you would see a great improvement from me."