Betfair Official Blog

Athletics betting and odds preview

Following the World Championships in Osaka, athletes and betting punters will be looking towards the Zurich Outdoors event on September 7.

The Swiss meeting is part of the six-leg Golden League set-up, with opportunities to bet on several track and field events. Despite the close proximity to the major championship, many of the sports top names will be involved in what is a lucrative betting event. Betting punters should also note that 24 world records have been broken in the meeting's history.

The world's best athletes will then head to Stuttgart on September 22 for the start of the IAAF World Final, with plenty of odds set to be on offer for the high-profile meeting. Over 55,000 fans are expected at Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadium, with the 100m likely to be the biggest draw for betting punters. Tyson Gay will be the man to beat after his sprint double in Osaka and the American is likely to be short odds to claim another title.

Top athletes and fun runners will join together on September 30 for the BUPA Great North Run, but it does also provide a serious betting opportunity. South Africa's Hendrick Ramaala was the 2006 winner and he is likely to be towards the top of the odds for this year's race.

On the same day, betting customers also have the chance to place a bet on the Berlin Marathon - one of the world's top five marathons. Haile Gebreselassie won last year's event and he will be a popular betting option again this September.

Many of the athletes taking part in Newcastle and Berlin will also be involved in the betting for the World Road Running Championships (October 14). There is the chance to bet on individual runners and check out the odds for the team event in Udine, Italy.

Gebreselassie was a winner of the Amsterdam marathon in 2005 and the Ethiopian is likely to feature heavily in the betting this year, should he take part as expected. Kenya's Solomon Bushendich was victorious last year and could also be a popular choice for odds checkers.

Road runners and betting punters turn their attentions to Portsmouth on October 28, with 18,500 athletes set to take part in the Great South Run.

Long distance athletes will travel to the Emerald Isle to compete in the Dublin Marathon on October 29. The race has been tagged the 'Friendly Marathon' but betting customers will be looking towards the competitive edge of the event. Russian Aleksey Sokolov is expected to prove a popular bet after winning the race in a record time last year.

The marathon circuit heads to Greece on November 4, where expert betting punters will have an indication about the in-form runners and how that will effect the odds.

The 2007 campaign is concluded on December 9 with the European Cross Country Championships take place in Toro, Spain. Betting markets will be available on individual and team competitions and for British fans who fancy a bet, Mohammed Farah could well be decent odds to follow up last year's victory in the men's event.