25–26 Jan 2025 303 days to go! #RunShow

Roger Black and Iwan Thomas announced for The National Running Show 2019

The organisers of the award-winning National Running Show have announced that Roger Black MBE and Iwan Thomas MBE will be speaking at the 2019 event taking place on 19th-20th January at Birmingham’s NEC.

Both former athletes will be a highlight at the second staging of The National Running Show and will be sharing their experience and expertise with the thousands of runners set to gather at the 2019 event. The speaker stage at the inaugural show in 2018 delivered a back-to-back programme of talks to a packed auditorium and the 2019 event promises yet another first-class line-up of running heroes past and present.

Former British athlete Roger Black is an Olympic silver medallist in the 400 metres sprint, an individual gold medallist at the European championships and a gold medallist in the 4×400 metres relay at both the World and European Championships.

Iwan Thomas is an Olympic silver medallist and former European and Commonwealth 400m Champion, and the fastest ever British 400m runner after setting the British Record twenty years ago. Since retiring from athletics he is a regular presenter on The One Show and an accomplished live events presenter, including hosting the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

Black and Thomas join two top female British former athletes, Paula Radcliffe MBE and Jo Pavey MBE, who have already confirmed their attendance at The National Running Show 2019.

Marathon world record holder and six-time World Champion Paula Radcliffe will be speaking on Sunday 20th January and opening day 2 of the show.

Meanwhile, former British long-distance runner and World, European and Commonwealth medallist Jo Pavey will be returning to The National Running Show for her second year, after captivating the audience at the 2018 event with her wisdom cultivated over years of hard competition.

The National Running Show has made itself a name as the event to attend for runners of all abilities and interests. It is the first show of its kind to bring the UK’s running community together with the very best sports brands, retailers, nutrition experts, race organisers, communities and expert speakers. After the overwhelming success of the debut event, and having been voted the Best Consumer Show Launch at the AEO Excellence Awards 2018, the organisers are working hard to deliver an even bigger and better event in 2019. Visitors to the show can look forward to a much larger floor space, more interactive elements and the presence of many more big names in running.

Mike Seaman, Director of Raccoon Events, commented:We are thrilled to welcome Roger Black and Iwan Thomas as speakers to The National Running Show 2019. They have both enjoyed glittering sporting careers and will be of huge inspiration to runners young and old attending the show. The speaker stage is one of the most popular elements of the show and we can guarantee a stellar line-up of speakers and panel discussions to motivate our audience and encourage them to achieve their own individual goals. We will be announcing more speakers in the weeks to come and look forward to welcoming everyone to the NEC next January.”

Anyone wishing to register interest in becoming an exhibitor or partner of The National Running Show 2019 should contact Mike Seaman directly by email, at [email protected] .

The National Running Show takes place at Birmingham’s NEC on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th  January, 2019. Tickets are on sale on the website and cost £10 per person for the weekend.