m in 1976 and 10,000 m in 1980. In the preliminaries to the 1976 5,000 m race he broke Viren's Olympic record running 13:20.34. That record would hold through the final until it was surpassed in the final of the 1984 Olympics. Foster's final major race was the 1980 Olympics 10,000-metre final, where he finished eleventh, almost 40 seconds behind the winner, Ethiopia's Miruts Yifter. In 2010, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame. Business, media and other activities Brendan joined the sports company Nike International Limited in 1981 as UK managing director. Progressing to European managing director, Vice-President Marketing (Worldwide) and Vice-President of Nike Europe. In 1988 he set up a company, Nova International with three friends from Nike. This company was later renamed to View From International, which won a contract to supply the British athletics team. The brand was later sold to Marks and Spencer in 2002 for an estimated £2m. After retiring from athletics following the Moscow Olympics in 1980, Foster worked for BBC Television, commentating and reporting on the sport at every major event from 1983 to 2017. In 1977, he helped organise the "Gateshead Fun Run", a pioneering running event. In 1981, Foster founded the Great North Run, an annual half marathon from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields. The race became the biggest running event in the UK, and one of the biggest half marathons in the world. By 2014, the race had been run by over 1 million competitors, the first IAAF event to pass this milestone. Foster ran in the 2003 event for the first time in many years, after being challenged to do so by radio presenter Ray Stubbs. Foster has also promoted sport in Ethiopia and other African countries. Recognition and honours Foster was Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University from 2005 to 2009. Foster was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1976 New Year Honours for services to athletics, and promoted to Commander of the same Order (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to sport. In December 2016 Foster was given the Freedom of the City of Newcastle, the city's highest honour. In August 2017, in recognition to his major contributions to the advancements of athletics, at a ceremony in London, Foster was awarded the IAAF highest award, the Golden Order of Merit. Foster was knighted