Why do I run? To feel healthy, for my brain, to keep the demons and the gut away … And I run for Sir Bobby, too. I’ve trotted, strained, sweated, bled, laughed and cried my way through every Great North Run since he set up his Foundation, barring one, when I broke my foot training for it!

I’m very proud to be a Patron of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation (you can read more about the brilliant work it does below). My relationship with Bobby was the most important of my professional life. Like him, I attended Langley Park Infants School and so he was always an aspirational figure for me. He was always a hero. Later on, he was a colleague on The Times (I ghost wrote his column when he was Newcastle manager) and ultimately he became a friend. I loved him then and I love him now. 

After a few years off from serious fundraising (well, we’ve all had a couple of years off from everything, haven’t we…?) I’m challenging myself to run at least 10 half marathons this year, with a couple of other runs thrown in. I’m not at all convinced my body is up to it - I dislocated a kneecap last year! - but I’m determined to give it a go.

The races I’ve signed up to so far are …

The Paris Half Marathon 6 March (using up a pandemic’s worth of air-miles and staying in Paris for free). ✅

The New York Half Marathon March 20 (week’s holiday, but really an excuse to see my mam for the first time in more than two years - she lives in the USA)✅

The Big Flat Runway Half (York) April 10✅

The Gateshead Half May 1✅

Great Manchester Run May 22✅

Edinburgh Half Marathon May 29❌ (Broken from the week before)

Run Northumberland Super Fast Half June 19✅

Alnwick Harriers Coastal Run July 24 (14 miles)✅

The Big Half (London), September 4 (HAD TO CANCEL THIS. Torn calf) ❌

Great North Run September 11✅

Portland (Oregon) Half marathon October 2✅

London Half Marathon November 27

Thanks for reading and donating. Here’s more information about the Foundation and a link to their web page sirbobbyrobsonfoundation

Sir Bobby Robson launched his Foundation to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer, after a request for help from his oncologist Professor Ruth Plummer. She was treating Sir Bobby as he faced cancer for the fifth and what he knew would be the final time. She needed to raise £500,000 to equip a new cancer drug trials centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Newcastle upon Tyne and asked him if he knew anyone who might like to donate.Sir Bobby responded by launching a charity to get the money she needed. He described it as like being at the helm of a team again. What he called his last and greatest team.