Whilst studying at the South Shields Marine and Technical College in 1981 I witnessed the very first Great North run, watching at the finishing line for our lecturer Salty Bell to finish. At the time I thought that perhaps one day I too would run the half marathon. Over the intervening years I have watched the event grow and caught parts of it on the television.

In 2010 my daughter Emily gained a place at Newcastle University and the very weekend she needed help moving a wardrobe of clothes to Newcastle was the day of the Great North run. We watched the runners pass over the Tyne bridge and it reminded me that perhaps I too should run it, but then I am really a sprinter not a long distance runner and the knee caps ache a little now. The following year moving a mountain of equipment and clothes for year two, and having a good excuse to visit Newcastle again, coincided with the Great North run. Emily pledged that she would run it the following year and gained a place to run supporting the RNLI. She chose this as during my days at sea she said that in the event I had needed help they would have been there.

 

She commenced her training early in January and to help on those cold wet winter evenings I started running with her to offer support and motivation. In fact we found we made a very good team, she was a brilliant pace setter and slowed the sprinter in me down and I was the motivator always trying to improve our time. As the run lengths increased and the time improved and the ache in the knee caps reduced it soon became obvious that I too should try and gain a place on the 2013 Great North run so that all the training would be to value.

 

I had recently become aware of the Target Ovarian Cancer charity and as my mother had passed away at any early age due to Ovarian Cancer two aims combined; to run the Great North run and commit to some form of challenge to raise money in memory of my mum.

 

After contacting Target Ovarian Cancer I was lucky enough to be offered a place to run in aid of the charity and aim to not only raise as much as I can to support the cause but increase awareness of the early symptoms so even if my efforts help one family it will be worthwhile.

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