Great North Run, 8 Sep 2024

I headed to Newcastle again for the Great North Run, along with 60,000 other runners. Running with so many other people can be a challenge. However, I had managed to get into the fast paced club runners section so was right at the front, meaning I could run without weaving around people or tripping over water bottles.

I was hoping for a time of around 90 mins, ideally a bit less if I could manage it but wasn’t sure if that was achievable as my fastest half marathon time was in Edinburgh and the Great North Run course has a lot more uphill!

The first 5k went very quickly - it’s hard to pace yourself when it starts downhill and everyone is cheering you on! I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to maintain the pace but the miles passed and I was still on target so kept going. The atmosphere was great as usual and I was happy to see my old running club at their usual water station at around mile 8. This is usually where I start to struggle and can see my pace dropping but seeing them and knowing I was on track for sub 90 gave me a boost and I kept going.

The weather was much kinder for running this year - although it was raining, the cooler temperature and lower humidity made it much easier to run and I could really feel the difference. I was thrilled to cross the line in a time of 1:27:55!

Sarah Hunter