Great North Run 2012

:01:18. > :01:23.Welcome to Tyneside, the whole country is basking in the afterglow

:01:23. > :01:26.are a glorious sporting summer, the hugely successful and inspirational

:01:26. > :01:31.Olympic and Paralympic Games sandwiched between Bradley Wiggins'

:01:31. > :01:37.Tour de France Fair Oaks and Andy Murray's historic Grand Slam

:01:37. > :01:40.victory, a summer to be proud of, one we will never forget. And where

:01:40. > :01:45.better to carry on the party atmosphere than here for the Great

:01:45. > :01:50.North Run? It is an iconic race, an emotional experience, and other

:01:50. > :01:54.wonderful celebration of sport. This summer will be remembered not

:01:54. > :02:04.just for the sport but also the astonishing crowds to cheered,

:02:04. > :02:07.

:02:07. > :02:12.supported and inspired thought the The rest of the world might not

:02:12. > :02:16.have seen anything like this before, but we have. For more than 30 years,

:02:16. > :02:20.those same British crowds have gathered in their tens of thousands

:02:20. > :02:24.along the route of the Great North Run, supporting, encouraging and

:02:25. > :02:29.winning them on, and what makes it truly great it is not just elite

:02:29. > :02:33.athletes soaking up the atmosphere, it is the People's Front, a fitting

:02:33. > :02:37.way to bring the curtain down on a great summer of sport. -- the

:02:37. > :02:41.people's runner. Yes, today is a day when the crowds stop watching

:02:41. > :02:47.and get involved, that is what the Great North Run has always been

:02:47. > :02:52.about, since the first race back in 1981 more than one million runners

:02:52. > :02:55.have run the 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields. And

:02:56. > :02:59.during that time, millions of pounds have been raised for charity,

:02:59. > :03:05.it really is a great British tradition, and one that everyone

:03:05. > :03:08.wants to be involved in. In fact, over 55,000 people from over 50

:03:08. > :03:13.countries and to the race this year, the perfect way to complete a

:03:13. > :03:20.weekend celebrating the passion for sport in the north-east. A fast and

:03:20. > :03:25.fun day awaits. Some of the world's top distance runners are here to

:03:25. > :03:28.take on the famous half-marathon course. The London Marathon

:03:28. > :03:32.champion, Wilson Kipsang, will be looking to run away from a strong

:03:32. > :03:37.field once again false start it is the biggest victory in his career,

:03:37. > :03:42.Wilson Kipsang wins the London Marathon. In the women's race, Jo

:03:42. > :03:47.Pavey will be chasing a true legend of the sport, raining Olympic

:03:47. > :03:53.10,000 metres champion at Tirunesh Dibaba. What a fantastic

:03:53. > :03:56.performance, this is the great Tirunesh Dibaba. The Ethiopian is

:03:56. > :04:01.not the only and in being here today, as I will be joined by a

:04:01. > :04:06.host of Olympic and paralytic heroes here to start the great race.

:04:06. > :04:10.-- Paralympic heroes. They are sure to get a great reception, as are

:04:10. > :04:14.those running for good causes, we will hear some of their

:04:14. > :04:19.inspirational stories. The reason I am doing the round is because of

:04:19. > :04:25.what Alan and Adam went through, and if I get tired, it is nothing,

:04:25. > :04:29.it is nothing compared to what they went through. We will follow them

:04:29. > :04:35.step by step, bringing all the fun and colour that makes the Great

:04:35. > :04:38.North Run so special. Special and an emotional day as well, but as

:04:38. > :04:42.the runners make their way down to the start-line, because the race

:04:42. > :04:47.gets under way in about an hour's time, Denise Lewis and Jonathan

:04:47. > :04:51.Edwards will be there to meet them. I am down at the start about 20

:04:51. > :04:54.metres away from you, it is bedlam down here, everybody is getting

:04:54. > :04:59.ready for the start, the normal format, the fast runners will be at

:04:59. > :05:03.the start line, and then behind them some of the famous faces, and

:05:03. > :05:07.then the fun runners. They are not really fun runners, are they?

:05:07. > :05:10.Apologies to them! I will be speaking to some of the famous

:05:10. > :05:14.faces, finding out why they are running, and whether or not they

:05:14. > :05:18.have done any training, because in my experience it is the famous

:05:18. > :05:23.faces to try to get by on the least amount. We will find out soon

:05:23. > :05:28.enough! I am at the back of the field at what is considered the

:05:28. > :05:32.busiest part of race day, because this is the point where all the

:05:32. > :05:36.athletes need to stop and hand over their kitbags. There are some 38

:05:36. > :05:41.buses, and they will leave from here to South Shields where the

:05:41. > :05:45.runners can collect their tickets at the end of the race. And joined

:05:45. > :05:52.by Andrew, one of the youth drivers. What is the atmosphere like here?

:05:52. > :05:58.It seems like bedlam! It is, in the really last 10 minutes, it gets

:05:58. > :06:03.really busy, bags getting put under the 38 buses, 19,000 bags at the

:06:03. > :06:07.last minute. The atmosphere is building, everyone is gathering and

:06:07. > :06:10.looking very excited, so we will see you later false start for the

:06:10. > :06:14.competitors today, just getting to the start line is the least of

:06:14. > :06:17.their worries, because the one of cheers from them now. An arduous

:06:17. > :06:22.course awaits the runners, because once they get under way, they will

:06:22. > :06:27.be heading to the cows. Just over 30 miles away is the welcome sight

:06:27. > :06:30.of the finish line. Everyone has a story to tell, and many will be

:06:30. > :06:35.sharing their experience with our reporters. It looks quite at the

:06:35. > :06:39.moment, but let's hear from Colin Jackson and, first, Phil Jones.

:06:39. > :06:44.All is quiet at the finish, but later there will be thousands of

:06:44. > :06:47.runners streaming through here, and tried to keep it in order is the

:06:47. > :06:51.race operations manager. Tell me about the rush-hour. From about one

:06:51. > :06:54.o'clock, we will have about 400 people crossing the line every

:06:54. > :06:58.minute, so it will take a certain amount of effort to make sure they

:06:59. > :07:05.get everything they need and finish their run the way they want to.

:07:05. > :07:13.Almunia volunteers have you got down here? Between 801,000. The

:07:13. > :07:17.atmosphere is starting to build. -- between 800 and 1,000. We need to

:07:17. > :07:20.space them out as soon as they get across the line, we do not want

:07:20. > :07:25.people having to stop before they get here. You do a great job, keep

:07:25. > :07:28.it going. My home for the day will be here at

:07:28. > :07:34.the charity village. Now, this is just beyond the finishing line

:07:34. > :07:38.where some of the runners will come, they will arrive to be pampered,

:07:38. > :07:43.looked after. If I remember last year, some arrive in a better state

:07:43. > :07:48.than others, I must admit! They will get a cup of tea, they would

:07:48. > :07:52.get a biscuit, and the sum, if they are lucky, would get a massage. I

:07:52. > :07:55.will be here all day talking to the manners, and I will also be talking

:07:55. > :08:03.to some of the people who make this charity village come alive. Stick

:08:03. > :08:11.Just a quick reminder of when the races get under way. The wheelchair

:08:11. > :08:14.race starts first. We will be keeping a close eye on her

:08:14. > :08:24.Paralympic gold medallist Mickey Bushell, who was moving up from 100

:08:24. > :08:28.

:08:28. > :08:33.metres to the half-marathon Well, the elite runners are on

:08:33. > :08:37.their way, and a couple of familiar faces, Greg Rutherford there is one

:08:37. > :08:43.of the starters today, and he was that man? It is Mo Farah, also one

:08:43. > :08:48.of the starters. Five Olympians and Paralympians starting the race

:08:48. > :08:53.today. Normally this race makes the news, but the news has come to us

:08:53. > :08:56.today, because I am joined by Susanna Reid, Sian Williams and

:08:56. > :09:00.Sophie Raworth! You enjoyed the London Marathon so much she came

:09:00. > :09:04.back for this! I have not done any running since the London Marathon,

:09:04. > :09:10.so I'm not sure if I'm doing the Great North Run! I am certainly

:09:10. > :09:14.starting it, earth I am a little bit star-struck because Mo is just

:09:14. > :09:19.behind us, and Greg Rutherford and Ellie Simmonds, I feel very unfit

:09:19. > :09:25.in comparison, but I'm going to do my best, nice to see you again.

:09:25. > :09:30.are looking a little worried, Sian! Yes, I know, I feel a bit sick, I

:09:30. > :09:34.did not sleep a wink last night! Sophie talked me into it, I have

:09:34. > :09:39.never run a half-marathon, and she said the atmosphere carries you

:09:39. > :09:44.along. I just want to start now. I will not see her for dust, of

:09:44. > :09:50.course. She is very supportive at the beginning and then she is off!

:09:50. > :09:53.She believed you! She just said to me, I could have been in bed! It is

:09:53. > :09:59.wonderful, I love it, it might be painful halfway through, but they

:09:59. > :10:07.will enjoy it. Most people have said to put their finish time, you

:10:07. > :10:15.two have the same time. Do we?! has put you down for a fast finish!

:10:15. > :10:23.What did I say? Under two?! We are expecting you before 12:30pm.

:10:23. > :10:28.ate has ended you with the elites! I am going with Mo! The thing that

:10:28. > :10:31.but my off, Mo said, I am not going to be doing the half-marathon

:10:31. > :10:35.because I have not done the training. Then Joe McElderry said,

:10:35. > :10:40.do not do it if you have not done the training. I have not done the

:10:40. > :10:46.right sort of training! But a lot of people to stand up for fun, and

:10:46. > :10:50.it is a brilliant run, it is fantastic. Because of all the crowd

:10:50. > :10:55.support, there will be even more people lining the streets.

:10:55. > :10:58.atmosphere is always amazing, and I love the way that a star are

:10:58. > :11:02.renewed jelly babies at the beginning, but by the end they are

:11:02. > :11:06.very new beer! The crowds carry you along all the way, the worst bit is

:11:06. > :11:10.about 11 miles, when there is a hill, and you just have to keep

:11:10. > :11:16.going, but then you get to see the sea. Sophie showed us the altitude

:11:16. > :11:23.map this morning. I was trying to be helpful! It will be a breeze, it

:11:23. > :11:27.will be flat, down to the coast. it is like this will waive. I think

:11:27. > :11:32.it is all uphill! I will wish to the best and I will see you at the

:11:32. > :11:37.finish. When are you doing it, Sue?! We have got to move on! Best

:11:37. > :11:41.of luck, I will see you at the finish. Talking about a challenge,

:11:41. > :11:45.the half-marathon should be a challenge, but not for Tony

:11:45. > :11:50.Phoenix-Morrison. You may remember him because he ran the race last

:11:50. > :11:54.year with a 40 kilogram bridge on his back. Well, that was not enough

:11:54. > :11:59.for him, because he and his fridge have been reunited for an even

:11:59. > :12:09.bigger challenge, to run the Great North Run course 30 times in 30

:12:09. > :12:15.

:12:15. > :12:21.Well, what we are doing is setting off on our 25th Great North Run. I

:12:21. > :12:25.wanted to pay tribute to a wonderful event, the Great North

:12:25. > :12:29.Run, something that I have followed all my life, ever since it began.

:12:29. > :12:32.Brendan Foster, who started it, was one of my childhood heroes. I want

:12:32. > :12:42.to make people aware of the fantastic Sir Bobby Robson

:12:42. > :12:45.

:12:45. > :12:55.My morning starts before 5am, and I think the routine every day has

:12:55. > :12:58.

:12:58. > :13:02.kept me supple enough and able to Basically I write to work and I see

:13:02. > :13:05.in most days, so I try to grab a picture of. I write half an hour to

:13:05. > :13:15.work every day and think about what he is doing, it is brilliant,

:13:15. > :13:16.

:13:17. > :13:23.My support rider is a chap called Matt. I would not have got this far

:13:23. > :13:28.without him. And my wife helps me. I thought he was mad at first, but

:13:28. > :13:38.immensely proud. I am carrying this fridge because she would not let me

:13:38. > :13:40.

:13:40. > :13:45.I thought the challenge was going to be something I did on my own,

:13:45. > :13:50.and do you know, I have never felt more part of the north-east, more

:13:50. > :13:54.proud. There is always a relief when you stop, when you're carrying

:13:54. > :14:00.the best part of 40 kilograms on your back, it is unforgiving, and

:14:00. > :14:05.it is good to stop, it is quite desperate at times. It can be quite

:14:05. > :14:15.traumatic, so there is wonderful relief when you see the finish line.

:14:15. > :14:18.

:14:18. > :14:22.That was the day that was! Day 26 Well, that was a few days ago, he

:14:22. > :14:26.has completed more since then, and he has become such a popular

:14:26. > :14:29.character around the course, we will avoid the obvious funds of him

:14:29. > :14:33.getting a frosty reception, well done, we will be following his

:14:33. > :14:37.progress. Now let's hear from Denise Lewis, who is with some

:14:37. > :14:47.runners to travel the world taking part in a races.

:14:47. > :14:57.I have been joined by a few runners from Norway, high, Gang! What

:14:57. > :14:58.

:14:58. > :15:06.brings you to the Great North Run The first time in England, in

:15:06. > :15:14.Newcastle. We are running a race each year. We started in 2000, this

:15:14. > :15:20.is number 13. Why did you choose the Great North Run this year?

:15:20. > :15:26.voted internally. This year, we wanted to go to this big race.

:15:26. > :15:32.have done a few races so far, whereas your T-shirt you showed me?

:15:32. > :15:41.Where have you been up so far? Dublin. You have been to Milan,

:15:41. > :15:48.Lisburn, Paris. Havana, Cuba, as well, yes! Tell me, what is it,

:15:48. > :15:58.particularly, about this group of people? Do know each other? We are

:15:58. > :16:01.

:16:01. > :16:06.a group, yes. You run together all the time? We are a running team.

:16:06. > :16:12.You are all going to stay together? Hopefully I will catch you up at

:16:13. > :16:20.the halfway point in the race. See you later.

:16:20. > :16:30.I have a couple of Premiership referees with me, mark Plattenberg,

:16:30. > :16:33.

:16:33. > :16:37.and Mark Halsey -- Mark Clattenburg. I am not sure how I am going to do,

:16:37. > :16:43.13 miles is a long way but we are hoping we are going to get through,

:16:44. > :16:50.with the help of the crowds. average, we run 12 kilometres per

:16:50. > :16:55.again. Being one of the oddest, I hope I will do a good time today.

:16:55. > :16:59.What do you make of the atmosphere? I did not know what to expect.

:16:59. > :17:06.After the Olympics and Paralympic Games, people are supporting events

:17:06. > :17:12.like this. To see the crowd is fantastic. Good luck to both you.

:17:12. > :17:18.You'll be watching out for some foul play? It is important we

:17:18. > :17:24.support these charities. Myself, I am in remission from cancer. By

:17:24. > :17:30.wife has leukaemia. Young children are living with cancer, we want to

:17:30. > :17:35.send them on holiday. We want to raise money for these

:17:35. > :17:41.people who have cancer, to go on holiday, that is why we are here

:17:41. > :17:46.today. To make as much money as we can.

:17:46. > :17:51.Good luck indeed. There is excitement here. After the Olympics

:17:51. > :17:56.and Paralympics, even more than usual. If you want to send a

:17:56. > :18:03.question to any of our experts, commentators, or a message of

:18:03. > :18:12.support, you can have tweet us. It is a great scene, thousands of

:18:12. > :18:18.runners making their way to the start. 10:10am is when the first

:18:18. > :18:24.race starts. 10:40am is the start time for these three who are

:18:24. > :18:34.running for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Rresearch. The Banana army,

:18:34. > :18:35.

:18:35. > :18:43.but not dressed as a banana this time expression mark John, you are

:18:43. > :18:53.the love rat from Coronation Street!

:18:53. > :18:55.

:18:56. > :19:05.How art alter egos! -- Our alter egos. The crowds are up

:19:06. > :19:07.

:19:07. > :19:13.overwhelming. Their support, they really do get you round. The last

:19:13. > :19:20.time you did it, but was 10 years ago. I have been having children

:19:20. > :19:30.sense. In 10 years, it is brilliant, it is much bigger. The Emmerdale

:19:30. > :19:35.cast, I see you every year, and at the London Marathon. It took me

:19:35. > :19:40.three years to be convinced. As soon as you come, it is the most

:19:40. > :19:48.unbelievable events, it is addictive. Our team, we are

:19:48. > :19:58.privileged. We get a coach here, he get looked after, and a nice tent

:19:58. > :20:06.at the end of the day, which are will need! The crowds will be

:20:06. > :20:12.shouting at me, saying how nasty I am! It is not real! At you have

:20:12. > :20:17.some fantastic characters to play. And you have a great storyline?

:20:17. > :20:27.have been lucky, some fantastic stories. Will they recognise me,

:20:27. > :20:32.sweaty, and out of breath? It is great to be involved in Pride of

:20:32. > :20:38.Britain. It is a fantastic thing, ordinary people doing extraordinary

:20:38. > :20:43.things. We have joined up with the leukaemia charity, it is a great

:20:43. > :20:53.day here, a fantastic atmosphere, it is hard to describe it. I love

:20:53. > :20:58.it when you go across the bridge, on the Tyne. Nicola Adams just let

:20:58. > :21:06.me hold her gold medal, that will carry me. Are you going to beat me

:21:06. > :21:12.today? Five did a better time than you, in the marathon. I was 20

:21:12. > :21:18.minutes faster! If I remember rightly! Good luck, I will see you

:21:18. > :21:24.at the finish. This time last year, this happy

:21:24. > :21:34.couple were tying the knot. Few are back again. We are, we are a bit

:21:34. > :21:36.

:21:36. > :21:44.crazy. We wanted to do it again. fell on the same day as our

:21:45. > :21:54.anniversary. We are hoping if I run quick enough, we can cross the line

:21:55. > :21:55.

:21:55. > :22:04.at the time we got married last year. I may be fashionably late!

:22:04. > :22:11.you are over the line by 1:30, that will be all right? Yes. On behalf

:22:11. > :22:17.of all of us, happy anniversary. Thank you. Rachel Burden, George

:22:17. > :22:25.Riley, joining me from Radio Five Live, not such an early start for

:22:26. > :22:30.you. I only woke up at 7am, it is a dream. Are you a runner? Not really.

:22:30. > :22:36.I forced myself to keep the body going but I don't actually enjoy

:22:36. > :22:41.this. Having done this before, it is the most magical occasion, the

:22:41. > :22:46.atmosphere and energy you get from the people around here. A surge of

:22:46. > :22:55.goodwill. It is lovely to experience. You are in little more

:22:55. > :23:00.sporty, I have high expectations. am sporty but a little bit unfit.

:23:00. > :23:07.It has been a long summer. As you well know. My fingers are crossed

:23:07. > :23:11.that body and mind correlate and forget synchronised. But it is all

:23:11. > :23:18.about the occasion, you get such a warm glow running around, I

:23:18. > :23:23.wouldn't miss this for anything. I am running for my mates charity,

:23:23. > :23:28.Steve was told six months ago he had bumps to live. Since then, he

:23:28. > :23:32.has been raising money for the Christie Hospital and the Rugby

:23:32. > :23:39.Football League Benevolent Fund, who look after people like Steve

:23:39. > :23:44.when they finish playing. I am running for a motor neurone disease

:23:44. > :23:51.charity, I know a number of people affected. One of the mums at my

:23:51. > :23:57.kids' school, I will be thinking of her, all the way around. If you can

:23:57. > :24:05.help and acknowledge that in some way. You are a bit poorly? I have a

:24:05. > :24:11.slightly dodgy knee. That is just for show! That is all my own work!

:24:11. > :24:18.It might see me through. Being nice, and help her around. Her I will see

:24:18. > :24:24.you at the end! Good luck. It really has been a glorious summer

:24:24. > :24:29.of sport. A few weeks that Mo Farah will never forget, the birth of his

:24:29. > :24:34.beautiful two daughters, and making Olympic history, of winning a long-

:24:35. > :24:41.distance gold medal, two of them. He is one of the starters for the

:24:42. > :24:51.race. Let us relive those two nights touched by magic, when he

:24:52. > :24:54.

:24:54. > :25:03.him, cheering him on. Into the home straight, 100 metres to go, has he

:25:03. > :25:13.got enough? It is going to be a glorious, glorious win, Mo Farah,

:25:13. > :25:15.

:25:15. > :25:24.for Great Britain, it is cold! Oh, yes! -- gold.

:25:24. > :25:32.He has got to kick hard, come on Mo Farah. Two gold medals for Great

:25:32. > :25:42.Britain. Beautiful! The place a rucks. He is a double Olympic

:25:42. > :25:45.

:25:45. > :25:51.I was almost in tears again, have you been able to watch those races?

:25:51. > :25:56.I have watched a little bit. Amazing. We talked about the

:25:56. > :26:02.stadium and the noise, talk us through what you are feeling out

:26:02. > :26:11.there? There was a lot of pressure, a lot of talk. It was important

:26:11. > :26:17.factor I did well. Going into it, I was with arrest of a team. I stayed

:26:17. > :26:23.in my hotel, that was it. He I got to the stadium and the crowd was so

:26:23. > :26:30.loud, getting louder and louder. It gave me a massive boost. It was a

:26:30. > :26:36.home advantage. You won the 10 kilometres -- 10,000 kilometres.

:26:36. > :26:41.How did you pick yourself up to when the second? I was pretty tired

:26:41. > :26:48.but the medical team did help me. Seriously, I was tired. But it was

:26:48. > :26:53.important. I had one day of complete rest, the other days I was

:26:53. > :26:58.jogging. I knew that the training was already done. Double Olympic

:26:58. > :27:07.champion, has life changed? Obviously with the birth of your

:27:07. > :27:10.daughters. It has changed a lot. People behind you, the whole

:27:10. > :27:20.country behind you, you can't get any better than that. And my wife

:27:20. > :27:20.

:27:20. > :27:30.giving birth to two beautiful girls. Have you got tired of doing the

:27:30. > :27:31.

:27:31. > :27:35.Mobot? I think the crowd will be doing

:27:35. > :27:40.that for you. It could be a world record.

:27:41. > :27:50.Have you received many messages of support? It has been brilliant, a

:27:51. > :27:51.

:27:51. > :28:00.great support from everyone. People sending messages, GIFs. And --

:28:00. > :28:06.gifts. How is your wife coping? We managed

:28:06. > :28:11.to go out for the first time last night, for a meal. Brilliant.

:28:11. > :28:17.Obviously, you have a bit of time off to relax. You said you are

:28:17. > :28:24.going to eat everything you have been banned from! A will endure

:28:24. > :28:30.anything my coach told me to stay away from -- I will enjoy a

:28:30. > :28:35.everything. Put my feet up. Then after that, if we will get back

:28:35. > :28:40.into it. What message do you have for all of these people? You know

:28:40. > :28:44.what it is like to run a half marathon. They have done their

:28:44. > :28:50.training, they need to enjoy it. They're running for loved ones, for

:28:50. > :29:00.charity. Patient put any pressure on themselves. I am sure they had a

:29:00. > :29:03.

:29:04. > :29:08.good night's sleep. Great to see you. We will watch you on that

:29:08. > :29:18.starting podium. We have Olympians and Paralympians

:29:18. > :29:19.

:29:19. > :29:24.at the start of the field, and some Iwan Thomas, James Cracknell, you

:29:24. > :29:29.cannot have done any training. runs in the last five weeks, so I

:29:29. > :29:34.am either fresh or very unfit! I am looking forward to it, I have never

:29:34. > :29:39.done it before, so I am really looking forward to it. Who are you

:29:39. > :29:44.running for? I am running for Macmillan, great charity. Unlike

:29:44. > :29:49.James, I go off way to quick, I say to hold back but I do not. I am

:29:50. > :29:56.going to have to put the brakes on and go steady, that is my plan.

:29:56. > :29:59.are always prepared, James. I am hoping it is going to infuse

:29:59. > :30:06.through watching people doing it over the summer, than actually

:30:06. > :30:11.doing it. No matter how fit you are, pacing is going to be the key. My

:30:11. > :30:15.eyes are bigger than my stomach in most things that I do, so go off

:30:15. > :30:20.heart and hang on! You are running for something very close to your

:30:20. > :30:23.heart. I am running for the Brain Injury Association, which helped me

:30:24. > :30:29.and my family understand the impact of the injuries I acquired a couple

:30:29. > :30:32.of years ago. They do a huge amount of good work, and it is not just

:30:32. > :30:38.about people who suffer the accident, but people related to

:30:38. > :30:42.them as well. Any wagers going on between you? I will be nowhere near

:30:42. > :30:46.James, every year I think, I could do him for the first 400 metres,

:30:46. > :30:53.but I will be lucky to break one of 40. You are probably going for one

:30:53. > :30:58.hour 20. I will be under one hour 30, under 20 would be really good.

:30:58. > :31:01.After five miles, I will make a decision. We should have a 10

:31:01. > :31:06.minute handicap race, if I am within 10 minutes, you can buy me

:31:06. > :31:12.dinner. OK, fair enough. I will be the adjudicator at the end, have a

:31:12. > :31:17.good one. Once a competitor, always a

:31:17. > :31:23.competitor. More gold medallists joining me now, Nicola Adams, Ellie

:31:23. > :31:27.Simmonds, Kat Copeland, Greg Rutherford, let starts here, what a

:31:27. > :31:30.summer it has been, and you have made history, how has life changed

:31:30. > :31:35.for you? It has been absolutely amazing, I cannot believe the

:31:35. > :31:40.things I have done, flying in helicopters, going on television

:31:40. > :31:44.shows, it has been amazing, I have enjoyed every minute. So many young

:31:44. > :31:49.girls now wants to take up boxing, you have made it really cool.

:31:49. > :31:54.it is a cool sport! I even hear that although you have become

:31:54. > :31:59.famous, your mum has signed a few autographs now. Yes, she is not too

:31:59. > :32:02.far behind me, actually, she is doing all right. The atmosphere was

:32:02. > :32:07.wonderful at the ExCeL Arena, the crowd must have really help you

:32:07. > :32:11.along. Definitely, the crowds were massive, I cannot believe the

:32:11. > :32:15.support, 10,000 people or chanting and cheering for you, it really

:32:15. > :32:20.boosted me in the finals. That is what they want to do here, this lot

:32:20. > :32:25.have got a big challenge. Ellie Simmonds, at the Aquatics Centre,

:32:25. > :32:29.15,000 people sounded like 50,000. It was amazing, coming to the

:32:29. > :32:34.starting block, having your name announced, there was a huge roar.

:32:34. > :32:40.You cannot really hear it in the pool, but the crowd has been

:32:40. > :32:44.amazing. You handled the pressure so well, only 17 years of age.

:32:44. > :32:48.you keep it inside your bubble, the support I have had from my coat and

:32:48. > :32:51.my family, they keep you on the ground, keep the pressure off you,

:32:51. > :32:55.but it was so exciting to have the opportunity to compete at the home

:32:55. > :33:00.games. Singing the national anthem with everyone, that must have been

:33:00. > :33:05.special. The whole stadium was singing it, which was amazing.

:33:05. > :33:10.you enjoy the parade? I loved it, to celebrate with the public who

:33:10. > :33:13.supported us so much through the games, yeah, to see them all and be

:33:13. > :33:21.with the fellow Olympians and Paralympians celebrating, it was

:33:21. > :33:26.good. Kat Copeland, Halle as life changed? Many cards and messages?

:33:26. > :33:31.had loads, I could not believe it. I find a couple every time I go

:33:31. > :33:36.home. It is more than I get on my birthday! Just really busy, really

:33:36. > :33:40.hectic, like. To be honest, I'm just enjoying it now, seeing my

:33:40. > :33:45.friends when I can, just loving it. Your reaction when you cross the

:33:45. > :33:50.line, you could not believe that you had won the Olympics, you were

:33:50. > :33:56.not the favourites going into that race forced Bath no, we went, we

:33:56. > :34:02.only got together in March. We did not have much time together. It was

:34:02. > :34:06.nice, I liked it, we could just going and enjoy it, I loved it.

:34:06. > :34:11.Greg Rutherford, so wonderful to see win gold, with the injuries you

:34:11. > :34:15.have had over so many years, to get fit and come away with gold force

:34:15. > :34:21.up yeah, exactly, when you are training and competing, you're

:34:21. > :34:24.always Borderline on the injury risk. It did not happen this year.

:34:24. > :34:28.Suddenly I am in the Olympic Games and was able to perform, and I came

:34:28. > :34:33.away with what I have always wanted to, the greatest day of my life,

:34:33. > :34:38.and I'm going to struggle now to find that again. What an amazing

:34:38. > :34:42.night, amazing crowd, amazing everything. People are saying it

:34:42. > :34:47.was the greatest night ever in sport, 3 gold medals, yours, Jess

:34:47. > :34:52.Ennis and Mo Farah. Special. still struggle, when I hear that, I

:34:52. > :34:56.cannot relate myself with something of that massive magnitude, it is

:34:56. > :34:59.amazing, I am still waiting for it to sit in and be able to understand

:34:59. > :35:03.what happened. It is what I have always wanted, and suddenly I have

:35:03. > :35:08.got it, so I'm trying to figure out what to do next and how you take it

:35:08. > :35:12.on board. I have been so busy, here, there and everywhere, but just

:35:12. > :35:17.enjoying every single moment. When I get a holiday, I will hopefully

:35:17. > :35:19.be able to sit down and understand what happened. I hear you have been

:35:19. > :35:25.eating all sorts of celebrities, Roger Moore at the other day?

:35:25. > :35:29.Really weird, sitting in a restaurant with him, I went over to

:35:29. > :35:33.say hello, quite quiet, actually, but an amazing moment, meeting

:35:33. > :35:38.people like that, it would not happen unless I had done well. It

:35:38. > :35:44.is lovely to be able to meet incredible legends of Britain, and

:35:44. > :35:49.I am enjoying every single moment, amazing. What about this day? Ellie

:35:49. > :35:53.Simmonds, 35 -- 55,000 people have entered this race, a very special

:35:53. > :35:58.occasion, raising money for charity, another wonderful day of sport.

:35:58. > :36:04.Yeah, definitely, Great Britain have had such a good year, the

:36:04. > :36:07.Olympics, Andy Murray, races like this, it is amazing, special causes,

:36:07. > :36:12.for people to have the opportunity to come and run in these races is

:36:12. > :36:16.good. I'm going to let you go, you have some official duties, I do not

:36:16. > :36:20.know who is firing the gun, but let's go down to Jonathan on the

:36:20. > :36:27.start-line with another of our Paralympic gold medallists.

:36:27. > :36:31.Yes, Mickey Bushell, T34 Paralympic champion, after silver in Beijing.

:36:31. > :36:38.Sue has been chatting to a bunch are the Libyas and Paralympians,

:36:38. > :36:42.they are starting the race, you are doing the whole thing! -- Olympians.

:36:42. > :36:46.It is just a bit of fun, if I can come in under one hour, I will be

:36:46. > :36:50.happy with that. You say it is a bit of fun, but your training has

:36:50. > :36:55.been geared towards 100 metres in the Olympics stadium, winning gold,

:36:55. > :37:01.you have done that, this is a completely different challenge.

:37:01. > :37:05.it will test my fitness today, but I say, it is a bit of fun, I am

:37:05. > :37:10.here to enjoy it, it is a great events to come to as well, so why

:37:10. > :37:14.not? Tell us about the night you won your 100 metres title, the

:37:14. > :37:19.atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium was just something. It was amazing,

:37:19. > :37:24.you know, 80,000 people there that night, unbelievable. I could not

:37:24. > :37:31.believe the support, the crowd, yeah. What you do now? Relax, enjoy

:37:31. > :37:35.the adulation? Yeah, two weeks off after this race, chill back, kick

:37:35. > :37:40.back, then come back into hard training for next year. What is

:37:40. > :37:44.next for next year? World championships? Yes, that his next

:37:44. > :37:52.year, we will see what we can do at there as well. Fingers crossed, you

:37:52. > :37:56.may be struggling at the end Dekker, As thousands of runners gather for

:37:56. > :38:00.the start of the 32nd Great North Run, the masses get under way in

:38:00. > :38:03.around 30 minutes, but as the wheelchair athletes are ready to go,

:38:03. > :38:13.I will hand you over to commentators Paul Dickenson,

:38:13. > :38:13.

:38:13. > :38:17.always a fantastic day, the climax to a brilliant sporting year. I

:38:17. > :38:22.cannot wait for this year's Great North Run to get under way, but as

:38:22. > :38:27.ever the first athletes we will see setting off down the 13 miles

:38:27. > :38:31.towards South Shields will be the elite wheelchair athletes. All, a

:38:31. > :38:37.fantastic Olympic Games, Paralympics as well, it captured

:38:37. > :38:41.everyone's imagination. Good morning, Steve, Brendan, everybody.

:38:41. > :38:45.It is a glorious day here, and certainly the top two athletes in

:38:45. > :38:49.that list will be two are the athletes we will be taking close

:38:49. > :38:54.attention of, certainly Josh Cassidy, the defending Great North

:38:54. > :38:59.Run champion, he has won its twice in a past, the man to watch. The

:38:59. > :39:06.won the Tyne Tunnel to, to race the other evening, reaching speeds are

:39:06. > :39:11.something like 45 mph. -- the time tunnelled two kilometres race.

:39:11. > :39:17.Absolutely incredible. They will be the first to finish on the seafront

:39:17. > :39:23.down in South Shields. But you heard what Mickey Bushell said a

:39:24. > :39:30.few minutes ago, we will be taking a closer look at him in just a

:39:30. > :39:40.minute. That is Jane Egan, the world and European para triathlon

:39:40. > :39:45.

:39:45. > :39:50.champion. She will be the leading will be seeing Josh Cassidy, there

:39:50. > :40:00.he is, the world marathon record holder, such a strong athlete in

:40:00. > :40:00.

:40:00. > :40:04.every department, every race. And Mickey Bushell, he will not be out

:40:04. > :40:09.to break any course records today, but he will give Josh Cassidy a

:40:09. > :40:17.good race here, I am sure. It certainly was a tremendous evening

:40:17. > :40:21.in the Olympic Stadium when he won his Olympic title, just 26 years

:40:21. > :40:26.old, he won silver in Beijing four years ago and then came through

:40:26. > :40:35.beautifully to win the 100 metres title. Certainly, Josh Cassidy, the

:40:35. > :40:40.defending champion, he will be the favourite. There we go! So the

:40:40. > :40:44.elite wheelchair race is under way, and Josh Cassidy, as expected,

:40:44. > :40:52.along with Mickey Bushell side-by- side over this very fast first part

:40:52. > :41:00.of the course. Pretty much downhill all the way to the Tyne Bridge,

:41:00. > :41:04.then some of the hard work really begins. So they will not have to do

:41:04. > :41:10.too much in the way of any real physical hard work, not until

:41:10. > :41:18.midway through the course, when there is quite a few uphill

:41:18. > :41:22.sections. And then the long, long drag all the way to the finish line,

:41:22. > :41:27.about one mile it is along the seafront in South Shields. But Josh

:41:27. > :41:31.Cassidy, as expected, right at the front there, and already beginning

:41:31. > :41:36.to work very hard indeed, followed by Mickey Bushell. Of course, as

:41:37. > :41:40.you heard him say, he is a sprinter, or his training for the Paralympics

:41:40. > :41:50.was steered towards being the best sprinter in the world, but he is

:41:50. > :42:08.

:42:08. > :42:16.not going to let Josh Cassidy get Mickey Bushell there, I just wonder

:42:16. > :42:22.if he has got a problem already, being overtaken in second place.

:42:22. > :42:26.Well, Cassidy is almost 100 metres ahead of everybody at the moment,

:42:26. > :42:32.just wondering whether Mickey Bushell may have got a puncture,

:42:32. > :42:35.because he is going very, very slowly, and that would be a

:42:35. > :42:44.desperate situation of the Paralympic 100 metres champion, if

:42:44. > :42:47.he has got a puncture so early on in his race. We will try again, the

:42:47. > :42:57.first race is under way, the next race and these are the women to

:42:57. > :43:02.look out for. Portuguese pedigree comes in the shape of Jessica

:43:02. > :43:07.Augusto, who won in 2009 and flies the European flag today. Along with

:43:07. > :43:11.Jo Pavey, who returns to the roads after taking almost 20 seconds off

:43:11. > :43:17.her 10,000 metres personal best finishing 7th at the Olympics, the

:43:17. > :43:21.first European finisher over five and 10K. The Kenyan challenge comes

:43:21. > :43:29.from Edna Kiplagat, the reigning London Marathon champion. Half the

:43:29. > :43:33.distance today but no less desire. The women's London Marathon the

:43:33. > :43:42.Olympic style belongs to Ethiopia, 2012 Games champion Tiki Gelana

:43:42. > :43:46.runs today. As does her compatriot, Tirunesh Dibaba, twice a 10,000

:43:46. > :43:54.metres Olympic champion, she now tells us she plans to be even

:43:54. > :43:59.better in her road-racing career. Well, it promises to be a wonderful

:43:59. > :44:03.race over 13 miles, let's re-join our commentators.

:44:03. > :44:08.Thank you, Sue, and you can see streams of at least making their

:44:08. > :44:11.way down the sides of the start area towards their designated pens,

:44:11. > :44:15.and they will be leaning over, craning a look at the elite

:44:15. > :44:21.athletes at the frontier, the women's elite race sets off before

:44:21. > :44:25.the main race, the men go with the main race, which goes off at

:44:25. > :44:30.10:40am. The women have the road clear to themselves, and what a

:44:30. > :44:35.line-up we have today. We have just seen the ones to watch, the former

:44:35. > :44:41.winner in 2009, Jessica Augusto from Portugal, great to see her

:44:41. > :44:47.here. A cracking a Olympic marathon, she came through very strongly in

:44:47. > :44:57.the latter stages, a really good performance from nerve. She always

:44:57. > :45:06.

:45:06. > :45:16.enjoys her trips over to the UK and of the others falter, she will give

:45:16. > :45:30.

:45:30. > :45:33.them a challenge, particularly in other elite women! Jo Pavey, one of

:45:33. > :45:39.the greatest distance athletes Great Britain has had the pleasure

:45:39. > :45:47.to watch. What a great Olympics Games she had, in the 50101000, a

:45:47. > :45:55.personal battle with Julia Bleasdale who was running in the

:45:55. > :46:00.Great City Games yesterday. Edna Kiplagat, looking for a good

:46:00. > :46:06.performers here today. It was Tiki Gelana who took the

:46:06. > :46:11.gold medal in great style in the marathon at the Olympics, the

:46:11. > :46:18.Olympic champion. That on the track, this young lady

:46:18. > :46:23.was the star, the first athlete ever, female athlete, to retain the

:46:23. > :46:32.Olympic 10,000-metre title. She won in Beijing, and again, in great

:46:32. > :46:40.stars, in London. For a surprise in the 5,000 metres. Not the great

:46:40. > :46:50.double. Two Olympic champions, 10,000 metres and the marathon,

:46:50. > :46:59.

:46:59. > :47:01.coming together at the classic half In the Olympic year. The elite

:47:01. > :47:06.field in the Great North Run, setting off on what promises to

:47:06. > :47:11.beat an enthralling race. Tirunesh Dibaba, in her first ever half

:47:11. > :47:17.marathon, can she bring her brilliant pedigree on to the road.

:47:17. > :47:26.Sheikh is a good road runner, a good history of performances. After

:47:26. > :47:36.her exploits at the Olympic Games, would it be victory at the end of a

:47:36. > :47:42.

:47:42. > :47:47.long season. Barbara macro, Edna Kiplagat, Tiki Gelana and -- Dibaba.

:47:47. > :47:55.Brendon? I know you'll be looking forward to see what she is capable

:47:55. > :48:01.It is great to see the world's most successful female athlete ever,

:48:01. > :48:08.moving from the track, three-times Olympic champion, four times world

:48:08. > :48:13.champion, four times world cross- country champion. Jo Pavey is

:48:13. > :48:16.setting the pace. The world of athletics is waiting to see what

:48:16. > :48:21.Tirunesh Dibaba can do, she says she will move through to the

:48:21. > :48:25.marathon. She will be the most successful athlete ever to step up

:48:25. > :48:30.from the track to the marathon. The future of rubber and running could

:48:30. > :48:34.be in her hands, she has been such an outstanding distance runner. She

:48:34. > :48:44.runs like this on the track, settling down, beside Jessica

:48:44. > :48:47.

:48:47. > :48:54.Augusto, who run the London Marathon. Just behind, Freya Murray,

:48:54. > :49:00.Britain's first fissure in the marathon. Jo Pavey, she had a

:49:00. > :49:07.fantastic Olympic Games. Sheikh is very happy here today, after that

:49:07. > :49:12.track season, and to go back to what she wants to do in the future,

:49:12. > :49:19.marathons and half marathons. If you're not so familiar with the

:49:19. > :49:25.Great North Run course, they start on the central motorway in

:49:25. > :49:30.Newcastle. They use both sides of the motorway. The elite women are

:49:30. > :49:36.on what would normally be the carriageway where traffic would be

:49:36. > :49:45.going against them in direction. They drop down on to the Tyne

:49:45. > :49:55.Bridge. Into Gateshead, up through Heworth. They turn at the White

:49:55. > :49:55.

:49:55. > :50:00.Mare Pool. And on to the seafront, finishing in front of us, in

:50:00. > :50:06.Whiteleas. Where there is already a big crowd gathering. A word on

:50:06. > :50:12.conditions today. An easterly direction they are running in, and

:50:12. > :50:20.easterly breeze behind them. Pretty good running conditions. 16 degrees

:50:20. > :50:27.of today. Maybe a shower later on. A breeze following them all the way,

:50:27. > :50:32.conditions perfect. For everyone taking part. That is my morning

:50:32. > :50:42.weather forecast! The bags! The BBC weather service

:50:42. > :50:45.

:50:45. > :50:51.will be happy with that -- thanks! Did you not mean westerly wind?

:50:51. > :50:56.Blowing in an easterly direction! We won't worry about that. Jo Pavey.

:50:56. > :51:01.She knows she has some class athletes. She knows it is going to

:51:01. > :51:11.be quick in parks. She wants a quick time. She was third in couple

:51:11. > :51:22.

:51:22. > :51:26.of years ago. -- a couple of years go. One of the iconic sides of this

:51:26. > :51:31.side are the red arrows roaring over the Tyne Bridge, to inspire

:51:31. > :51:36.the runners. At the finish, they provide everyone with one of their

:51:36. > :51:41.spectacular displays. For one lady running the Great North Run, these

:51:41. > :51:51.will be moments steeped in emotion. Her husband tragically lost his

:51:51. > :51:54.

:51:54. > :51:58.life a year ago during an air Emma. We all know it has been a

:51:58. > :52:04.difficult year for you. You have got behind the trust you have

:52:04. > :52:10.started in your husband's name, has but helped? Absolutely. It has been

:52:10. > :52:17.a tough year. I have -- I have had the support of so many wonderful

:52:17. > :52:22.people. And there have been fantastic, the team has been

:52:22. > :52:27.fantastic. So many people connected to his life have come forward and

:52:27. > :52:32.supported me to set up the trust. We have come such a long way.

:52:32. > :52:39.have raised a lot of money. He was an inspirational person who wanted

:52:39. > :52:44.to help youngsters. What has happened? We have developed a

:52:44. > :52:50.program in Lincolnshire. We have worked with young people from

:52:50. > :53:00.disadvantaged backgrounds to give them access to inspirational people.

:53:00. > :53:05.And to accredited training, going towards them exams. That will be

:53:05. > :53:11.rolled out to other areas of the country. There is so much potential.

:53:11. > :53:18.We hope to develop this youth programme countrywide. You do so

:53:18. > :53:24.much to raise money for this trust. Is it still very difficult, to see

:53:24. > :53:29.the red arrows? Yes, whenever I see the team flying in the skies, I am

:53:30. > :53:35.immensely proud. I will always miss my wonderful husband. Being here,

:53:35. > :53:40.running at an iconic, fantastic event, running it together, seeing

:53:40. > :53:46.them fly-past in a few minutes, and at the end, you can't help but have

:53:46. > :53:51.your spirits raised. They flew over last year, they will do the Tyne

:53:51. > :54:01.Bridge, and at the finish. One of the pilots will take part in the

:54:01. > :54:07.race. What will he do? David, I'm not sure what the plant is. He will

:54:07. > :54:17.do the fly past. Go to the start- line, run the whole race. And meet

:54:17. > :54:24.up at the end. He will be wearing his flying suit. Red 8. Watch out

:54:24. > :54:30.for him. It is all to raise money, to talk about the trust. He is also

:54:30. > :54:35.running for the RAF Benevolent Fund. Great causes. Are you looking

:54:35. > :54:40.forward to this? I am immensely proud to be running here today, for

:54:40. > :54:47.this fantastic course, I can't wait to get started. Are you going to

:54:47. > :54:52.run in formation? It may not last very long! Good luck, I will see

:54:52. > :54:57.you at the finish. Time to take their place. The

:54:57. > :55:01.runners are going through their warm-up. They have been doing the

:55:01. > :55:07.Mobot, Mo Farah has been leading them in that. Denise is with a few

:55:07. > :55:17.of them. I have been joined by some amazing

:55:17. > :55:17.

:55:18. > :55:27.guys raising money for help for heroes. We have done the Gateshead

:55:28. > :55:34.10 K. This is our last, to raise money. We are looking forward to it.

:55:34. > :55:40.We wish you all the best. The atmosphere has been so exciting.

:55:40. > :55:46.am so nervous and excited as well. We can't believe we are doing this

:55:46. > :55:55.on a Sunday morning. We are running for really good charities. I can't

:55:55. > :56:00.wait. Ladies, enjoyed the race. You are back running at the Great

:56:00. > :56:05.North Run. A couple of years ago, you had a tragic accident.

:56:05. > :56:10.I was involved in a rocket propelled grenade attack in

:56:10. > :56:15.Afghanistan and a loss by right arm. Last year, I ran it in under two

:56:15. > :56:25.hours, so I want to beat my personal best. What time are you

:56:25. > :56:29.

:56:30. > :56:36.after? 1:40 would be great. I have found a couple of boys from

:56:37. > :56:44.The Only Way Is Essex. Have you ever been North before? Never for

:56:44. > :56:49.this kind of hard work! We are not looking forward to it, to be honest.

:56:49. > :56:55.Our first half marathon. The most I have trained for it is 6,000.

:56:55. > :57:04.George will be carrying the across the line. Who are you running for?

:57:04. > :57:13.Diabetes UK, the nominated charity for beeper, quite an honour for us.

:57:13. > :57:19.-- BUPA. It is such a good cause. We haven't trained as much as we

:57:19. > :57:25.would like. We have a history of diabetes in our family, so it is

:57:25. > :57:33.something we wanted to help. It is a worthy cause. We are more than

:57:33. > :57:43.willing to do it for them. Don't go off too fast, and finished strong.

:57:43. > :57:48.

:57:48. > :57:51.What if we can't start or finish? Canadian, way out in the lead, in

:57:51. > :57:56.the wheelchair event. We thought there might have been a problem

:57:56. > :58:01.earlier on. It seems as if his transponder which signals when he

:58:01. > :58:08.has gone through certain points on the course, the transponder doesn't

:58:08. > :58:13.seem to be working. Nevertheless, those distinctive wheels,

:58:13. > :58:22.unmistakable. The defending champion going very strongly. Way

:58:22. > :58:26.ahead of Simon Lawson and Phil Hogg. And he is going well.

:58:26. > :58:30.Back in the women's elite race, they are taking their left-hand

:58:30. > :58:36.turn, on to the bypass which runs through Gateshead and which will

:58:36. > :58:43.take them past Gateshead Stadium. Just past two miles. Fairly

:58:43. > :58:47.undulating, through the central motorway, climbing up from the Tyne

:58:47. > :58:57.Bridge. It is really about the three-mile point they will settle

:58:57. > :59:01.down. Pretty quick running so far. Inside 67 minute pace. Jo Pavey

:59:01. > :59:11.setting a good pace. We can see Freya married and Gemma Steel,

:59:11. > :59:27.

:59:27. > :59:33.noticed Jessica Augusto, former champion, at the back. Gemma Steel

:59:33. > :59:39.from Great Britain is there. Edgars Klavins seems pretty intent on

:59:39. > :59:47.keeping it at a good, steady pace. The first two miles, solid running

:59:47. > :59:52.from Jo Pavey. That group contains the athletes we thought it would.

:59:52. > :00:02.Looking at barbara macro, settling in at the back of the group. --

:00:02. > :00:24.

:00:24. > :00:34.action. A steady pace. The Olympic marathon champion, Tiki Gelana,

:00:34. > :00:38.

:00:38. > :00:42.around her, she is an interesting at least, when she moves through

:00:42. > :00:46.from the track. She has been distinguished and the track, four

:00:46. > :00:51.times at the Olympic Games over the years, a fantastic record, and I

:00:51. > :00:55.was talking to were yesterday, she says she has not got her thoughts

:00:55. > :01:05.and eyes on Rio and the marathon. She looks a good, she looks

:01:05. > :01:07.

:01:07. > :01:11.comfortable, she has been a great Rio?! After everything that

:01:11. > :01:15.happened in London, any athlete, no matter how long they have been

:01:15. > :01:20.involved, they will be thinking, yeah, I want a little bit more of

:01:20. > :01:23.that, please. For the women, particularly on the roads, age is

:01:23. > :01:27.not the same sort of barrier that it is on the track, so no reason

:01:27. > :01:31.that Jo couldn't keep going and the part of the marathon team. She

:01:31. > :01:35.missed out on the marathon, and that is probably a good thing for

:01:35. > :01:40.her in the end, she ran really well on the track in the 10,000 metres

:01:40. > :01:44.and the 5,000 metres, but setting a good pace here. They are just

:01:44. > :01:48.passing Gateshead stadium now, if they took a left turn, they would

:01:48. > :01:52.be turning into the stadium, that is on their left hand side as they

:01:52. > :01:55.approached three miles in a couple of hundred yards. Freya Murray, she

:01:55. > :02:02.was the one who stepped in at the last moment, when Paula Radcliffe

:02:02. > :02:07.had to pull out with their injury problems. I am sure she thoroughly

:02:07. > :02:14.enjoyed the Olympic experience, if it came a little bit late. There is

:02:14. > :02:17.the stadium. The scene of so many great athletic events over the

:02:17. > :02:22.years, and next year it will be the European team championships being

:02:22. > :02:27.held at Gateshead Stadium, and just reminding myself! That will be

:02:27. > :02:33.great for Team GB, an unjust reminded that Brendan said that,

:02:33. > :02:39.sorry, I was listening, I promise I was listening to you! Jo looking

:02:39. > :02:46.good, as they go through the Three Mile point, a rough time of about

:02:46. > :02:49.15:45, keeping the pace solid, she will want a good position, but also

:02:49. > :02:53.a good time, and she knows these are good conditions for running,

:02:53. > :02:57.Great conditions for distance running overall. She has got good

:02:57. > :03:01.athletes around her, but she looks really happy to be leading. A

:03:01. > :03:07.recent training will have been done at a faster ace than this, so she

:03:07. > :03:12.will find the first few miles pretty steady, pretty easy. -- a

:03:12. > :03:17.faster pace. That is the split for the first five kilometres, Jessica

:03:17. > :03:21.Augusto has dropped off the back. We are just noticing that right in

:03:21. > :03:30.the shut, just at the very back you can see the tiny figure of Freya

:03:30. > :03:34.Murray, another mile in the 5:12, so she is really taking it to them.

:03:34. > :03:39.That is the back of the leading group, Gemma Steel at the back of

:03:39. > :03:43.that group, then a few yards behind we will save Freya Murray, who was

:03:43. > :03:47.getting married in a few weeks' time. She has had a marvellous year,

:03:47. > :03:50.a terrific performance to be the first British finisher in the

:03:50. > :03:55.Olympic marathon. Jo Pavey was the first European finisher in the

:03:55. > :04:03.5,000 metres at 10,000 metres, and she looks happy to be stretching

:04:03. > :04:07.along, another mile at 5:12, a solid opening. Edna Kiplagat

:04:07. > :04:13.comfortable, Tirunesh Dibaba comfortable, getting ready to go

:04:13. > :04:18.and move a little bit closer. a comfortable pace, that Jo is

:04:18. > :04:21.happy to set, and the others will be quite pleased, it is not caused

:04:21. > :04:29.record pace at all, but there are quicker miles later on, and they

:04:29. > :04:39.will speed up a bit. Anything around 5:10, you would not want to

:04:39. > :04:43.

:04:43. > :04:48.go much lower than that, A4e different opinions from the elite

:04:48. > :04:52.athletes, it is a fast course, and I chat to one or two people, the

:04:52. > :04:56.Great North Run, it is a hilly course, and it is a little

:04:56. > :05:01.undulating at times, but overall it is a quick course. People were

:05:01. > :05:05.asking me, is it a personal best course? I said that Paula Radcliffe

:05:05. > :05:09.ran the first ever half-marathon, so it must be all right. They look

:05:09. > :05:14.at the Mark, it is a bit hilly, there is a steep downhill at the

:05:14. > :05:16.finish, but it starts in the City and finishes at the seaside, and Jo

:05:16. > :05:22.Pavey is getting steadily into her running, looking relaxed and

:05:22. > :05:28.comfortable. Jelena Prokopcuka on the outside, Gemma Steel in 4th

:05:28. > :05:32.place. Well, the women are well on their way through five kilometres,

:05:32. > :05:37.and back down on the Central Motorway, well, tens of thousands

:05:37. > :05:42.are getting ready for their turn, and of course the elite men right

:05:42. > :05:46.at the very front. Let's have a look at the ones to watch. A broken

:05:46. > :05:51.bone in his back would not stop Chris Thompson from completing his

:05:51. > :05:58.Olympic dream over 10,000 metres in London. He says he is in better

:05:58. > :06:03.shape for today's race. Kenya's Micah Kogo won and Olympic bronze

:06:03. > :06:08.in Beijing over 10,000 metres, and he is a former 10,000 metres world

:06:09. > :06:13.record holder on the road. Ethiopia's Imane Merga hopes to

:06:13. > :06:19.find the fire he has at the finish on the track, something he had

:06:19. > :06:24.shown on the Diamond League circuit. But Kenya's Wilson Kipsang starts

:06:24. > :06:34.as favourite. He won the London Marathon this year and followed

:06:34. > :06:39.

:06:39. > :06:45.that with marathon bronze at the arriving at 7:30am, even earlier,

:06:45. > :06:51.and others made their way, as we did, leaving cars and relatives in

:06:51. > :06:55.South Shields, jumping on the Metro, timing it very well these days. And

:06:55. > :07:01.all done with military precision. Many have been here so many times

:07:01. > :07:04.before, many doing this for the very first time, and as ever

:07:04. > :07:13.waiting for the wonderful spectacle that the Red Arrows provide, with

:07:13. > :07:15.immaculate timing, flying overhead at the start. See your eyes peeled,

:07:15. > :07:25.because here come the Red Arrows explanation that here they go, the

:07:25. > :07:52.

:07:52. > :07:56.red white and blue which has been do best, clearing the stage for all

:07:56. > :08:00.of our runners to show what they can do. We will be seen the Red

:08:00. > :08:04.Arrows, of course, a little later on, they would give us a five

:08:04. > :08:09.passed over the Tyne Bridge and as ever a wonderful display at South

:08:09. > :08:14.Shields. -- a fly past. That is the signal that we're just a minute or

:08:14. > :08:17.two away from the start. The elite rap athletes are ready, the

:08:17. > :08:22.celebrities have been corralled behind them, the clever celebrities

:08:22. > :08:28.will turn and go in the opposite direction! They were not want to

:08:28. > :08:36.start as quick as these guys. Representing Great Britain at 5,000

:08:36. > :08:42.readers, a local boy Nick McCormick! -- 5,000 metres. A local

:08:42. > :08:46.Northumbrian latter was proud to make the Olympic team. He made it.

:08:46. > :08:51.Chris Thompson, a great friend and training partner of Mo Farah over

:08:51. > :08:59.the years, the two of them have followed each other's careers step

:08:59. > :09:02.by step, a silver medal behind Mo at the Europeans. Micah Kogo, a

:09:02. > :09:07.Olympic bronze medallist at 10,000 metres in Beijing, a very good

:09:07. > :09:13.athlete indeed, I think he could go well today, former world record

:09:13. > :09:19.holder on the roads over 10 kilometres. The world cross-country

:09:19. > :09:27.champion in 2011, the world bronze medallist behind Mo Farah at last

:09:27. > :09:31.year in Daegu, Imane Merga of Ethiopia. It was a bronze medal at

:09:31. > :09:36.the Olympic Games, not the medal he would have liked, he had a brave

:09:36. > :09:44.effort to try to win the Olympic marathon, Wilson Kipsang, the

:09:44. > :09:52.winner of the Lunn -- of the London Marathon back in April. It is his

:09:52. > :09:56.first time at the Great North Run. So the countdown begins. And the

:09:56. > :10:02.nerves just starts to jangle a little, and what a day for all of

:10:02. > :10:11.our competitors to have the Olympic champions setting them on their

:10:11. > :10:18.way! Greg Rutherford, Mo Farah, Ellie Simmonds, fantastic and then

:10:19. > :10:26.here in this great sporting year, and the Great North Run, as ever,

:10:26. > :10:30.one of our biggest and best events, and one which the elite are joined

:10:30. > :10:34.by thousands and thousands of others with her own special

:10:34. > :10:36.challenges, their own medals that they will collect at the end. So

:10:36. > :10:44.many stories which we will be telling you about over the next

:10:44. > :10:49.couple of hours. And this might just take a little while, because I

:10:49. > :10:53.am not sure that, when all of these people signed up to take part in

:10:53. > :10:58.the 2012 Great North Run, that they could have imagined they would be

:10:58. > :11:04.standing on the rostrum, the gold medals, the success of Team GB at

:11:04. > :11:14.the Olympic Games, and I'm sure, well, I know how much it has meant

:11:14. > :11:19.

:11:19. > :11:23.to the nation as a whole. Now they of course an event which started

:11:23. > :11:27.out with very much a local theme, it has retained that since those

:11:27. > :11:30.early days back in the early 80s, but it is very much an

:11:30. > :11:40.international events now, people coming from all over the world to

:11:40. > :11:50.

:11:50. > :11:58.sample the atmosphere of the Great be sold by the end of today! --

:11:58. > :12:02.hands are going to be sought. Do you know, when your medals at the

:12:02. > :12:06.Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, that is what you dream about, you

:12:06. > :12:13.do not realise that all this stuff comes with it as well. It is a

:12:13. > :12:17.lovely bonus to have. It is a tiring bonus to have, telling as

:12:17. > :12:22.how difficult and tiring it has been, but how much fun it has been

:12:23. > :12:27.as the runners, probably about 40,000, just a few more, will be

:12:27. > :12:31.starting. The start director getting them away. He reckons it

:12:31. > :12:35.will take about 45 minutes to get the whole number of starters across

:12:35. > :12:45.the line. You are seeing men queuing patiently, but they are a

:12:45. > :12:49.

:12:49. > :12:56.bit like you, they always know in the commentary box. Oh, you are

:12:56. > :13:02.taking your cap lob, Brendan was sporting his Team GB cap this

:13:02. > :13:07.morning, styling it well! At least you did not turn the heat around to

:13:07. > :13:11.the back, Brendan. That would have been odd. The Central Motorway,

:13:11. > :13:14.look at all the people still making their way to the back end of the

:13:14. > :13:18.field. They know that they are starting at the back, and they can

:13:18. > :13:22.take their time to cross the line. But to get all these tens of

:13:22. > :13:25.thousands across the start line, we will give you a figure once they

:13:25. > :13:31.have all crossed the line as to how many have started this year's race.

:13:31. > :13:33.The vast majority of them will get to the end, a really small

:13:33. > :13:40.percentage will unfortunately drop out due to injury or whatever

:13:40. > :13:44.reason. The vast majority will be welcomed here at South Shields in

:13:44. > :13:48.two, 3, four, maybe even five hours' time. It is about 1,000

:13:48. > :13:52.metres from the back here to the start line, it is 13.1 miles for

:13:52. > :13:58.some of them, most of them, plus about 1,000 metres for the rest of

:13:58. > :14:01.them. And that is the distance ahead of them as they wind their

:14:01. > :14:05.way along to the Tyne Bridge. We are back to the women's league,

:14:05. > :14:11.they have been going through five miles out, and Jelena Prokopcuka

:14:11. > :14:17.are flat rear has taken over from Jo Pavey, Jo just settling. -- of

:14:17. > :14:22.Latvia. Then Tirunesh Dibaba, who is doing it like she does on the

:14:22. > :14:27.track, following, getting the distance behind her. Gemma Steel of

:14:27. > :14:30.Great Britain in the red vest, just behind Jo Pavey, is running well,

:14:30. > :14:35.too, then Edna Kiplagat, the world marathon champion. Great to see

:14:35. > :14:39.that the British athletes are in that group. Yeah, a bit surprising

:14:39. > :14:43.that the group is breaking up, Brendan. They have at the two

:14:43. > :14:52.slowest miles, the 4th is normally the slowest, they have just

:14:52. > :14:56.followed it with 5:33, and that is normally a fairly quick mile, and

:14:56. > :15:00.certainly miles 6 and 7 they tend to speed up a little bit, so I am

:15:00. > :15:10.surprised the group is breaking up. Maybe Jelena Prokopcuka or deciding

:15:10. > :15:14.

:15:14. > :15:24.happened, she decided Jo Pavey was getting tired of reading, and

:15:24. > :15:26.

:15:26. > :15:36.injected a bit of pace. -- tired of leading. Josh Cassidy, meanwhile,

:15:36. > :15:36.

:15:36. > :15:45.is way ahead of everybody else. He looks as though he will join our

:15:45. > :15:48.esteemed list of multiple winners, David Weir among them. Josh casting

:15:48. > :15:58.it is certainly the man to beat and looks as if he will win for the

:15:58. > :16:04.

:16:04. > :16:14.men start on the left hand carriageway. They get there quicker

:16:14. > :16:19.

:16:19. > :16:26.run through the first mile. Not super-fast, but a decent pace. 4:28.

:16:26. > :16:31.Last year, Martin Mathathi, he ran the fastest I have ever seen, he

:16:31. > :16:36.was four seconds slower in the first mile. Then, they will wind

:16:36. > :16:46.their way through the city centre area, on to the Tyne Bridge. Which

:16:46. > :16:49.

:16:49. > :16:58.will fail and fail -- fill and fill. Yesterday, we had the Great City

:16:58. > :17:08.Games yesterday, thousands came to watch Mo Farah. The US team won the

:17:08. > :17:26.

:17:26. > :17:36.team event. The athletes had a Wallis Spearman. He was leading the

:17:36. > :17:37.

:17:37. > :17:47.singing. For many a track athletes, that was the last event of the year.

:17:47. > :18:01.

:18:01. > :18:09.One or two sore heads this morning, Across the Tyne Bridge. It will

:18:09. > :18:14.slowly fill up. That leading group. Looking down the group, the field,

:18:14. > :18:18.we are looking for Chris Thompson, there he is in the green vest, on

:18:18. > :18:25.the outside of that group. Nick McCormack who ran in the 5,000

:18:25. > :18:31.metres in the Olympic Games, just beside him. The crowd is starting

:18:31. > :18:39.to come through, lining both sides of the Tyne Bridge. Eventually they

:18:39. > :18:43.will be greeted on the flyover, by the Red Arrows. Jo Pavey is

:18:43. > :18:49.sticking with it. We have just noticed Gemma Steel of Great

:18:49. > :18:59.Britain, who was doing well, just drifting. Jo Pavey has to knuckle

:18:59. > :18:59.

:18:59. > :19:04.down, through the six mile. Macro. This as looking as if Tirunesh

:19:04. > :19:09.Dibaba is staying close, the marathon champion Tiki Gelana,

:19:09. > :19:19.second place. The Olympic 10,000 metres champion, bar bow macro, the

:19:19. > :19:22.

:19:22. > :19:32.athlete who has won so many events in her career -- Dibaba. Jo Pavey

:19:32. > :19:33.

:19:33. > :19:38.is in extremely good company. She is good at hanging in there.

:19:38. > :19:47.You have to remember, there is Gemma Steel, a little further back.

:19:47. > :19:55.She set off with real intent. A good, steady pace. Not bad running

:19:55. > :20:00.at all. When you think about even Jo Pavey's best. They are operating

:20:00. > :20:10.well inside that. Gemma Steel, Sheikh is now going to have a long

:20:10. > :20:16.race. Having to concentrate. Jelena Prokopcuka it is trying to push

:20:16. > :20:23.things on a little bit. They have gone through five minutes for that

:20:23. > :20:33.six miles. You may wonder why I say that.

:20:33. > :20:42.

:20:42. > :20:46.Meanwhile, back at the start, Mo year that he has had. All of the

:20:46. > :20:55.things that have happened to him since the Olympics, and I no doubt

:20:55. > :21:02.think will continue to happen. It started really well. When he won

:21:03. > :21:10.�250,000 for his charity. At the Olympics, a couple of guys in the

:21:10. > :21:20.hotel said, has he got any chance? His mates said, of course he has,

:21:20. > :21:31.

:21:31. > :21:36.has turned to gold. In this little group, you have Micah Kogo,

:21:37. > :21:41.Emmanuel Bett, and these three know each other really well. They

:21:41. > :21:45.realise Wilson Kipsang and Imane Merga are very good athlete. These

:21:45. > :21:51.three men are in good form. Emmanuel Bett won the 10,000 metres

:21:51. > :21:57.in Brussels just last week. Just under 27 minutes. He looked very

:21:57. > :22:05.strong. These three I know where were hoping to set a decent pace.

:22:05. > :22:10.It will be interesting to see their split. Quicker than the pace being

:22:10. > :22:20.set last year where we had a course record. They have started very

:22:20. > :22:26.

:22:26. > :22:33.that the others have realised it is too quick, they cannot run 60

:22:33. > :22:43.minute pace. Quite a few athletes in the second group, we saw Collace

:22:43. > :22:53.

:22:53. > :22:59.is the race favourite, happy, content, to be at the back of this

:22:59. > :23:04.elite group. If you were with us earlier on, you

:23:04. > :23:10.will have seen this man. Tony has been running this course every

:23:10. > :23:20.single day for the last 29 days, this is his 30th a tent, carrying a

:23:20. > :23:48.

:23:48. > :23:53.fridge on his back, what an effort! He joins David Weir, as multiple

:23:53. > :23:56.winner of the Great North Run. That will make up for it disappointing

:23:57. > :24:06.Paralympic Games for the Canadian. He didn't get in among the medals,

:24:07. > :24:20.

:24:20. > :24:24.The women's race is being forced along by Jelena Prokopcuka. You can

:24:24. > :24:34.see Jo Pavey struggling to keep up with this pace. Bar bow macro and

:24:34. > :24:40.

:24:40. > :24:49.Edna Kiplagat happy to keep up -- Dibaba. Maintaining a very good

:24:49. > :24:53.pace. Heading for the 67th minute range. Jo Pavey set off with intent

:24:53. > :24:59.at a good pace, personal best case. She has to work hard to stay with

:24:59. > :25:07.them. She is still running a personal best pace. She is running

:25:07. > :25:11.well. You would hope she can run the same personal best today. The

:25:11. > :25:19.former New York Marathon winner is keeping the pace up. And, the three

:25:19. > :25:23.Africans, around her. It must make you pretty nervous. Jelena

:25:23. > :25:28.Prokopcuka is an experienced distance runner. Running well again,

:25:28. > :25:36.it is obvious from that. Running towards her personal best. Here we

:25:36. > :25:42.are, back at the start line again. The crowds getting ready. Moving

:25:42. > :25:47.through. All sorts of strange addresses. We have seen a fridge.

:25:47. > :25:57.The pacemakers are helping them. Everyone is there to help. The

:25:57. > :26:07.

:26:07. > :26:17.crowds are moving towards the start start line already, probably 4,000

:26:17. > :26:26.

:26:26. > :26:33.these three are working together. It is plain to see. Training

:26:33. > :26:40.partners, they know each other well, they lived together. Wilson Kipsang

:26:40. > :26:47.and Imane Merga are locked together, and this is a concerted, early

:26:48. > :26:56.effort. Talking to Vicki Sims who looks after these guys, he said

:26:56. > :27:04.they were planning to go through in 28.10, which is super-fast for them.

:27:04. > :27:12.They have gone through, I think, a bit too quick. Given it is up and

:27:12. > :27:20.down. Wilson Kipsang it in the Olympic marathon, he took off, and

:27:20. > :27:28.put paid to his chances of winning that race. At the half point of

:27:28. > :27:34.that race, his fastest ever split, in that race in the marathon. He

:27:34. > :27:39.wasn't really running with a clever plan. This group are going pretty

:27:39. > :27:49.quick, but not excessively quick, which is really sensible. Wilson

:27:49. > :27:54.

:27:54. > :27:59.Kipsang at the back, just doing competitor to cross the finish line.

:27:59. > :28:09.Some way behind Josh Cassidy, such a brilliant race Josh Kirsty had

:28:09. > :28:24.

:28:24. > :28:33.this morning. Simon Lawson, on his, think they should have held it a

:28:33. > :28:36.little bit. You may think, what's the difference? 10 seconds off your

:28:36. > :28:43.pace in the first 5,000 kilometres, you will pay for that further down

:28:43. > :28:48.the line. It will be interesting to see. They are tried to run 58

:28:48. > :28:55.minutes here. Or they will pay for it at some point. These men are in

:28:55. > :29:05.shape to run under one hour. You really want to save something, you

:29:05. > :29:17.

:29:17. > :29:23.have to be strong in the last Prokopcuka has forced the pace, and

:29:23. > :29:30.that has meant Jo Pavey has fallen away. You can see Jo is about 40

:29:30. > :29:37.metres behind at least of these four, and she is having a cracking

:29:37. > :29:42.race, Jelena Prokopcuka or, resurrecting days of old, and she

:29:42. > :29:47.has done at last eight-mile in exactly five minutes, and that his

:29:47. > :29:57.way Jo Pavey has struggled to stay with this. It is very good running.

:29:57. > :29:57.

:29:57. > :30:02.If you think, confirmation of that, her best goes back to 2005, 68:11,

:30:02. > :30:06.and she is running inside that sort of time. If he were to maintain

:30:06. > :30:11.this pace, not only is she giving the big names a run for their money,

:30:11. > :30:16.she could be heading for a personal best. A long way to go, of course,

:30:16. > :30:20.but good running so far. The New York Marathon winner, Jelena

:30:20. > :30:24.Prokopcuka, really stretching, but looking at the Olympic champion,

:30:24. > :30:30.she is keen to get on terms. The great Tirunesh Dibaba following

:30:30. > :30:34.just a few yards behind, and then Edna Kiplagat, the world champion,

:30:34. > :30:39.and Jo has not been able to stay with them on the last three miles.

:30:39. > :30:44.If she keeps at it, she has got a really good chance. She has run a

:30:44. > :30:47.good, solid opening part of the race, and now she has to work

:30:47. > :30:53.harder. She is the end concentration, T Bennett, Jo Pavey

:30:53. > :30:57.getting good support from the crowd. -- a deep Ian Evatt. They have

:30:57. > :31:01.watched their and admired her for many years. We saw her finish third

:31:01. > :31:06.here a few years ago, she plans to run a marathon later this year, but

:31:06. > :31:11.for the moment she has to work hard. She could go close to her personal

:31:11. > :31:15.best, but the race up front is a little bit quicker than that. Good

:31:15. > :31:20.to see her digging in. That is the leader, Jelena Prokopcuka with

:31:20. > :31:26.three champions behind her, and in kick champions, world champions,

:31:26. > :31:30.world cross-country champions. -- the Olympic champions. Tiki Gelana,

:31:30. > :31:34.a fantastic performance to win the marathon in London, she looks as if

:31:34. > :31:44.she really wants to get on with his race, because she knows how good

:31:44. > :32:04.

:32:04. > :32:08.Tirunesh Dibaba is in the later Rutherford, could 100 metres

:32:08. > :32:18.sprinter, I am not sure he would fancy a half-marathon. Maybe one

:32:18. > :32:19.

:32:19. > :32:22.day, who knows? So many colours, of course, many of them, most of them

:32:22. > :32:29.wearing the vests and T-shirts are the various charities that they are

:32:29. > :32:34.running for. More of their stories later on, of course. For the

:32:34. > :32:40.meantime, though, concentrating on the elite field, and the men are

:32:40. > :32:46.maintaining a very good pace here. The women, a solid pace, more

:32:46. > :32:51.impressive from the men. The elite group of five, there is a big gap

:32:51. > :32:57.there, just going through five miles. A little downhill section

:32:57. > :33:02.year. These next two or three miles are the quick miles, and if they

:33:02. > :33:07.maintain their ace through here, we could be in for something special.

:33:07. > :33:13.-- pace. There is enough talent, if Kipsang can stay with them, we

:33:13. > :33:20.could be on for something quite quick in the men's race. Well, they

:33:20. > :33:26.have settled down a little, Kipsang has moved to the group. Looking

:33:26. > :33:31.good there, the Olympic bronze medallists, Merga, the world cross-

:33:31. > :33:35.country champion, just behind him, heads down, concentration. They are

:33:35. > :33:39.settling into the undulating course. The times will vary a little, but

:33:39. > :33:43.when you look at it, you'll see fast miles and then slow miles, and

:33:43. > :33:53.that is because of the gradient they are climbing. But this is now

:33:53. > :34:13.

:34:13. > :34:18.they drop down. When they turn approaching the sixth mile point at

:34:18. > :34:23.White Mare Court, they are downhill and then flat and down for a couple

:34:23. > :34:30.of miles. -- pool. It is at a mile eight when they go pretty quick

:34:30. > :34:40.then slow down again at John Reid Road. Conditions really good Today

:34:40. > :34:42.

:34:42. > :34:46.much all way to start chilled. Here comes the Red Arrows once more,

:34:46. > :34:56.over the top of the Tyne Bridge, one of the sights of the Great

:34:56. > :35:15.

:35:15. > :35:19.we had a wonderful view of their blue plume of smoke that they have

:35:19. > :35:23.left behind drifting to the right up your picture, and that is the

:35:23. > :35:27.direction of South Shields. When all of these runners take their

:35:27. > :35:33.left turn and heads towards the coast, as I said, a nice breeze on

:35:33. > :35:38.their backs, so they could be quite a few personal bests at there today.

:35:38. > :35:46.Maybe a few inspired by all of the great achievements of our Olympic

:35:46. > :35:50.athletes' oath and indeed at the Paralympics. None more so than

:35:50. > :35:56.Mickey Bushell. Yes, the Paralympic champion has found the half-

:35:56. > :35:58.marathon distance a little bit harder, blown quite heavily, but

:35:58. > :36:04.absolutely delighted to see Mickey Bushell here in South Shields. He

:36:04. > :36:14.is going to finish in sixth place. Josh Cassidy, of course, the

:36:14. > :36:24.

:36:24. > :36:29.champion, then Simon Lawson, Phil Kogo Arkan yet managing to pull his

:36:29. > :36:34.team-mates clear of the dangerous figure of Imane Merga or, right in

:36:34. > :36:39.the middle, the world cross-country champion, at the world 10,000

:36:39. > :36:43.metres champion, just pulling a few yards ahead. That is Kipsang, the

:36:43. > :36:46.world champion, the man who many thought could win the Olympic Games

:36:46. > :36:51.if he had judged his pace better. He does not have to do anything

:36:51. > :36:57.special today, just stay in contention with his team-mates. The

:36:57. > :37:01.first British athlete, Chris Thompson, running strongly. He says

:37:02. > :37:05.he is in better shape. He was obviously disappointed with the

:37:05. > :37:12.Olympic Games. He is ahead of Collis Birmingham, there he is, who

:37:12. > :37:15.ran against Mo Farah, tested Mo Farah a lot of the way in the Great

:37:16. > :37:19.CityGames yesterday, but that is the concentrated vigour of Chris

:37:20. > :37:29.Thompson. Thankfully back from his injury and on his way to running

:37:30. > :37:34.

:37:34. > :37:43.men's race, because Merga is starting to struggle, dropping up

:37:43. > :37:49.the pace. It has been an indifferent year for world cross-

:37:49. > :37:54.country championships. He did not make the team for the Olympic Games,

:37:54. > :38:00.Merga just dropping away now. We are down to four men, and the pace

:38:00. > :38:07.has dropped a little through the six miles. They are approaching the

:38:07. > :38:14.10 kilometres point. There you go, they have slowed a little bit, but

:38:14. > :38:22.still inside their targets. They were planning to go through 10 k

:38:22. > :38:29.Ind 28:20, so they are still in time for something good. Brendan,

:38:29. > :38:35.that is pretty quick. I am just watching the men's group there,

:38:35. > :38:40.running together. Back to the women, and it is still Jelena Prokopcuka

:38:40. > :38:43.really sticking to her task. She said she was in good shape, she

:38:43. > :38:48.avoided the Olympic Games because she did nothing she was running a

:38:48. > :38:54.good enough Marathon next to the champion, but he is now taking them

:38:54. > :39:00.on today, and here comes Edna Kiplagat, moving closer. Tirunesh

:39:00. > :39:06.Dibaba or, through the 10 kilometres point, the 10 mile point

:39:06. > :39:11.there, that is interesting, 3.1 miles to go, and still the Olympic

:39:11. > :39:15.10,000 metres champion, three times the Olympic champion in her own

:39:15. > :39:20.right, Tirunesh Dibaba, she still looks relaxed and comfortable as

:39:20. > :39:24.the crowds are still crossing the start line. We have that at least

:39:24. > :39:28.at 10 miles, we have got athletes just coming through the start, so

:39:28. > :39:31.the whole of Tyneside is now covered by people running, across

:39:31. > :39:38.the Tyne Bridge, heading to the South Shields coastline here, and

:39:38. > :39:43.the crowd is filling up. These shots will be busy for the next

:39:43. > :39:49.half-hour or so, as they all get going. 20,000 now have started,

:39:49. > :39:56.there is another 20,000 or so to go. We can see the sage Gateshead in

:39:56. > :40:06.the background. The crowds are lining the route here. These

:40:06. > :40:14.

:40:14. > :40:20.athletes coming across the iconic look what has happened, Merga,

:40:20. > :40:27.somehow has got himself back to the group. It was not exactly a slow

:40:28. > :40:32.last mile. And Merga must have put a really big effort in to come back

:40:32. > :40:39.to the group, because he must have been at 20 or 30 metres adrift.

:40:40. > :40:44.that was the fastest mile of the old race so far, 4:19, so that is a

:40:44. > :40:50.surprise. A change in the women's race, three champions from Africa

:40:50. > :40:55.now being led by the world marathon champion, Edna Kiplagat. Jelena

:40:55. > :40:58.Prokopcuka coming under a bit of pressure. Tiki Gelana, the Olympic

:40:58. > :41:03.marathon champion alongside the world marathon champion, where she

:41:03. > :41:09.has been all the time. She is a clever Ray Say, Tirunesh Dibaba or,

:41:09. > :41:13.and that is pretty obvious, you do not become three-times Olympic or

:41:13. > :41:20.four times world champion and less you are clever. She had the whole

:41:20. > :41:25.of 2011 away from injury. Jo Pavey, who has had a fantastic year so far,

:41:25. > :41:31.really doing what she does best, running on her own, working hard.

:41:31. > :41:35.She knows there is a pricier for her, she knows she can run well, go

:41:35. > :41:39.close to her personal best, but this is really strenuous distance

:41:39. > :41:43.running, and this is the concentration that you need, and Jo

:41:43. > :41:47.Pavey has shown it over many, many years. It has been a privilege to

:41:47. > :41:52.watch her, she has been brilliant. In the men's race, slightly

:41:52. > :41:57.different, still five of them together, and they are still racing.

:41:57. > :42:01.I am just trying to keep an eye... Every time there is a bit of a rise,

:42:01. > :42:07.Micah Kogo in particular pushes things on a little bit, Merga

:42:07. > :42:13.struggles. On the downhill section, Merga comes back. They have just

:42:13. > :42:17.wrested another rise in the area of York Avenue, I have passed that

:42:17. > :42:24.garage a few times and my running career! You have ran along this

:42:24. > :42:29.road a few times. I certainly did! This is just about half a mile back

:42:29. > :42:38.from there, the seven-mile mark, Collis Birmingham has come back on

:42:38. > :42:42.to Chris Thompson. He is in great form, Collis Birmingham, the Aussie,

:42:42. > :42:48.a redoubtable competitor. He will have a real tussle with Chris, I am

:42:48. > :42:52.sure. At the front, just dropping down past the Robin Hood pub,

:42:52. > :42:58.heading up to the Lindisfarne roundabout, N John Reid Road, and

:42:58. > :43:05.that is, I think, where the race can take on the complexion of the

:43:05. > :43:10.race can change. That is a 4:11 mile they have just completed, that

:43:10. > :43:16.is a pretty quick section, but that is fast none the less. If I tell

:43:16. > :43:21.you that it compares to when the record run last year, they went

:43:21. > :43:24.through that in 4:19, so they went through at eight seconds quicker

:43:25. > :43:30.than last year's winner. In the women's race, we expected

:43:30. > :43:34.Prokopcuka could not stay with the big three, and they are pushing on,

:43:34. > :43:40.close to 67 minutes, just outside or just inside, depending on how

:43:40. > :43:44.they finish, heading for around 66 or 67.5 at the moment. Because

:43:44. > :43:53.there's so much talent and ability in Ladbroke, we might see a good,

:43:53. > :43:57.strong finish to this half-marathon. -- in that group. There is Jelena

:43:57. > :44:02.Prokopcuka, who has really made it a fast race. She is running strong,

:44:02. > :44:05.she could be close to her personal best, which you would deserve. She

:44:05. > :44:09.is planning on running a marathon later this year, planning are

:44:09. > :44:15.running quick, and she looks as though she is back to her very best.

:44:15. > :44:20.It could be a personal best, 68:11, she will have to stick close to it,

:44:20. > :44:24.but she is sticking to the task in 4th place. The world champion leads

:44:24. > :44:28.with the Olympic champion alongside there, three-times Olympic champion

:44:28. > :44:32.giving them a bit our space, letting them do what they want to

:44:32. > :44:36.do. The speed that she possesses, you are able to run like that,

:44:36. > :44:42.because she knows that if everything is OK, she can outspend

:44:42. > :44:48.anybody in the world. Now they are heading towards the sea front. The

:44:48. > :44:53.men's race, a little bit of late change there, Kipsang and Kogo have

:44:53. > :44:58.opened up a bit of a gap, they must be running quicker, because that

:44:58. > :45:06.last mile of 4:11 was outstanding, and this will be equally quick.

:45:06. > :45:16.Those gaps are opening really suddenly. The others are now yards

:45:16. > :45:35.

:45:35. > :45:45.here, then in 300 metres, they will turn. That is always a tough on

:45:45. > :45:46.

:45:46. > :45:51.mile. The women have already completed it, you are climbing for

:45:51. > :45:56.one-and-a-half. You can smell the north Sea at this point. Once they

:45:56. > :46:06.crest this little rise, they will drop down. A steep, downhill

:46:06. > :46:06.

:46:06. > :46:12.section, then a left turn, with almost a mile, to the finish.

:46:12. > :46:19.Edna Kiplagat is starting to push things along a little bit. She ran

:46:19. > :46:25.her first half but then in 2006. 69.30, in her debut. She has only

:46:25. > :46:30.ever run a little bit quicker than that, in New York. So she is

:46:30. > :46:35.heading for a personal best. She is really forcing the issue, the

:46:35. > :46:41.Olympic marathon champion alongside her. Tirunesh Dibaba, starting to

:46:41. > :46:47.struggle. The strong Kenyan athletes. Wilson

:46:47. > :46:54.Kipsang, winner of the London Marathon this year. Issie heading

:46:54. > :47:02.for the double? He looks comfortable. Micah Kogo, an

:47:02. > :47:07.accomplished 10,000-metre runner. I wonder it is he back to form? As

:47:07. > :47:14.they head towards the seafront in South Shields. The men's race is

:47:14. > :47:20.getting competitive. Here are the followers. Imane Merga. The world

:47:20. > :47:23.cross country champion. Emmanuel Bett, the fastest 10,000-metre run-

:47:23. > :47:33.up in the world this year. You can see the way they have got their

:47:33. > :47:41.

:47:41. > :47:50.head down, the wind is blowing This is becoming competitive. Can

:47:50. > :47:58.Micah Kogo take on one of the best bowdon runners ever? -- marathon

:47:58. > :48:04.runners. Every time he has the chance to force it, on an incline,

:48:04. > :48:14.he does so. Wilson Kipsang looks as if he is struggling. Micah Kogo has

:48:14. > :48:29.

:48:29. > :48:36.10 seconds outside a course record pace here. -- I can tell you. Last

:48:36. > :48:40.year, Martin Mathathi was pretty much on his own. If Micah Kogo can

:48:40. > :48:48.keep pushing on, who knows? This is where they are going to drop down

:48:48. > :48:54.steeply. You can't tell from that helicopter shot. It needs to be

:48:54. > :49:00.negotiated well, a sharp left-hand turn.

:49:00. > :49:07.All of these, the world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, Olympic

:49:07. > :49:14.marathon champion Tiki Gelana. The three-times Olympic champion at

:49:14. > :49:19.50101000 metres, Tirunesh Dibaba. Are we seeing the future of

:49:19. > :49:25.marathon running being revealed here? You can sense she is gauging

:49:25. > :49:31.her position. Tiki Gelana, looking over her shoulder. She knows she is

:49:31. > :49:37.in the presence of greatness, with Tirunesh Dibaba. All she wants to

:49:37. > :49:42.do it shelter behind these two. Along the seafront. A powerful race.

:49:42. > :49:50.Can they run the finish out of Tirunesh Dibaba? This is really

:49:50. > :49:55.interesting to see. Personal bests all round today. Who will prevail?

:49:55. > :50:05.Really interesting. Tiki Gelana was almost the same to Tirunesh Dibaba,

:50:05. > :50:05.

:50:05. > :50:11.tucked in here. -- almost saying. It is raining now. Having to really

:50:11. > :50:21.concentrate. Edna Kiplagat doing her best to press on. Tirunesh

:50:21. > :50:26.

:50:26. > :50:31.Dibaba has never been more than a couple of strides away.

:50:31. > :50:37.When it gets to the latter stages, surely, she will unleash a kick.

:50:37. > :50:41.When you run 13 vials, it's not as easy to find as on the track. She

:50:41. > :50:46.has to stay close and hope she still has that pace in her legs

:50:46. > :50:51.right at the very end. Edna Kiplagat is doing her very best.

:50:51. > :50:58.Hasn't she got a sprint finish at the end of a half-brother no? She

:50:58. > :51:01.hasn't run one before. Two of the best marathon runners in the world,

:51:01. > :51:05.taking on the best female distance runner of all time. The most

:51:05. > :51:12.successful female athlete active in the sport, three-times Olympic

:51:12. > :51:16.champion, four times world champion. Tirunesh Dibaba is poised. Moving

:51:16. > :51:25.on to the outside. She is not worried about the wind at the

:51:25. > :51:30.moment. Stretching out now. She always goes from about 600 metres,

:51:30. > :51:35.she doesn't wait for the last 100. For the first time, Tirunesh Dibaba

:51:35. > :51:39.hits the front. Marathon runners around the world better be careful.

:51:39. > :51:44.This looks to make as if the transition from the track, at the

:51:44. > :51:49.end of a hard season, is she going to be strong enough? Has she got

:51:49. > :51:59.the finish we have seen her used on the track over this distance? We

:51:59. > :52:04.

:52:04. > :52:11.will find out in seconds. Derek early, Brendan. -- Very early. Tiki

:52:11. > :52:21.Gelana has gone ahead. Edna Kiplagat realises that Barbara --

:52:21. > :52:21.

:52:21. > :52:28.Tirunesh Dibaba might have mistimed that. She looks around as if to say,

:52:28. > :52:36.by team-mate has gone, let us see what you have got? Sheet is looking

:52:36. > :52:41.for the distance signs. The 400 metres mark. That was a temporary

:52:41. > :52:51.misjudgment. Was it a major misjudgment? Look at the ability of

:52:51. > :52:52.

:52:52. > :52:56.Tirunesh Dibaba, she is a racer overall. She keeps looking behind.

:52:56. > :53:02.The Olympic 10,000-metre champion, defending that had also been only

:53:02. > :53:08.in London, tried to win her first ever half marathon. Edna Kiplagat

:53:08. > :53:15.looks behind, no danger behind. It is between these two. The crowd can

:53:15. > :53:22.now see them. 400 metres away. We can see them for the first time.

:53:22. > :53:26.Tirunesh Dibaba must be thinking, where it is this finish line?

:53:26. > :53:33.first sign of weakness from Edna Kiplagat, she looks behind her

:53:33. > :53:43.shoulders, the first time she has done that. Tirunesh Dibaba, in her

:53:43. > :53:45.

:53:45. > :53:50.abilities own. She has the finish in sight. -- ability zone. In full

:53:50. > :53:58.flow, there is nobody better than Tirunesh Dibaba. She possesses such

:53:58. > :54:02.speed, strength and endurance. An amazing competitive spirit. Perhaps

:54:02. > :54:07.the greatest distance runner, certainly on the track, and who

:54:07. > :54:11.knows now, on the roads, in the future, over the marathon distance.

:54:11. > :54:16.Today, in the Great North Run, her debut over the half marathon

:54:16. > :54:24.distance, she has shown she has got what it takes to get to the top of

:54:24. > :54:28.this event as well. Tirunesh Dibaba. The Olympic champion, she takes the

:54:28. > :54:33.title in the Great North Run, in the Olympic year. A superb victory

:54:33. > :54:42.for the Ethiopian. Edna Kiplagat takes second place in a new

:54:42. > :54:47.personal best. The Olympic marathon champion coming through. Also a

:54:47. > :54:57.personal best, in third place. Three great athletes, giving us a

:54:57. > :54:59.

:54:59. > :55:05.played her part. Jelena Prokopcuka has run so well today. She will be

:55:05. > :55:15.delighted with that. Just inside, maybe by a second or two, a

:55:15. > :55:28.

:55:28. > :55:35.personal best, which goes all the feel the same, cannot wait to see

:55:35. > :55:38.Tirunesh Dibaba. She has had a great year it on the track. When

:55:38. > :55:46.she turns her attention to the marathon, who knows what she will

:55:46. > :55:51.be capable of. A great race by Jo Pavey. Jo Pavey is running very

:55:51. > :55:59.close to her personal best. Once again, Jo Pavey, ever have reliable,

:55:59. > :56:04.ever consistent, a marvellous year behind her. Her personal best of 68

:56:04. > :56:11.minutes and 53 seconds, can she get close to that? Looking at the clock

:56:11. > :56:16.now. Just over 69 minutes, just outside her personal best. A

:56:16. > :56:22.marvellous year on the track and now on the road. Well done. They

:56:22. > :56:27.all love her. She is always, over these years, always been reliable,

:56:27. > :56:31.always consistent, a great runner in her own right. A think we have

:56:31. > :56:36.seen the future of marathon running here today, the greatest ever track

:56:36. > :56:42.runner, now stepping onto the roads. I am sure we will see some

:56:42. > :56:47.marvellous exploits from her in the marathon. A little bit more rain

:56:47. > :56:56.coming down. Still good running conditions. A great race on, in the

:56:56. > :57:00.men's race. Micah Kogo. Alongside him, Wilson Kipsang. Two Nigel --

:57:00. > :57:10.Kenyans. Wilson Kipsang was the Prix race favourite, the winner of

:57:10. > :57:16.

:57:16. > :57:26.the Olympic Raven. Micah Kogo, attempting this. -- the Olympic

:57:26. > :57:43.

:57:43. > :57:48.marathon. He has just slowed down a running at 59.5 minute pace. Who

:57:48. > :57:54.knows what they can do it in the last few miles. This is the battle

:57:54. > :58:00.for third. Kigen alongside Imane Merga. Emmanuel Bett seems to have

:58:00. > :58:10.dropped off. Rather dramatically. Unless he is between these two and

:58:10. > :58:26.

:58:26. > :58:33.the leading two. These are the section. Driving down here this

:58:33. > :58:38.morning, the preparations being made, a big order station coming up

:58:38. > :58:43.here. It hasn't been that for, so the elite athletes will have taken

:58:43. > :58:53.on the odd bit of water here and there. It hasn't been a major

:58:53. > :58:58.

:58:58. > :59:08.didn't particularly enjoy the London Marathon course, I think. He

:59:08. > :59:08.

:59:08. > :59:15.said, afterwards, it was a warm day. Twisting and turning. This one is a

:59:15. > :59:24.little bit different. Plenty of straight running. Just below us,

:59:24. > :59:30.watching Freya Murray finish. Here we are, in the east South Shields

:59:30. > :59:40.area. The athletes are working hard together, competitively. We have

:59:40. > :59:41.

:59:41. > :59:46.had personal bests in the women's race. Wilson Kipsang, the London

:59:46. > :59:52.Marathon winner. Micah Kogo, who tried to get up close, tried to get

:59:52. > :59:59.away on the hill, through the 11 mile point. They are running about

:59:59. > :00:04.59, just over. Two miles to go in the men's race. Two Kenyan athletes

:00:04. > :00:14.together. Two Olympic bronze- medallists together. Who will

:00:14. > :00:22.

:00:22. > :00:26.started. We are back at the start line. The Olympians are still

:00:26. > :00:35.greeting these people. They have been doing it for 50 minutes. There

:00:35. > :00:39.is the Olympic torch on the route. Fund-raisers. Groups of people

:00:39. > :00:45.running together. All joining themselves together over the start

:00:46. > :00:51.line. There is the Olympic torch. A fantastic summer we have had with

:00:51. > :00:59.the Olympics and still Mo Farah still happy to shake hands. Don't

:00:59. > :01:05.worry, Mo, you've nearly finished shaking hands. Ellie Simmons gives

:01:05. > :01:15.them an encouraging word. Now the ordinary people can set off and do

:01:15. > :01:23.extraordinary things on this half marathon. A mile and a half or so

:01:23. > :01:29.down the road, at the Tyne Bridge, they're still streaming across.

:01:29. > :01:36.Remember, way back in the very first running of this, Bren, and I

:01:37. > :01:42.think both you and had a tootle around. You aren't going to tell

:01:42. > :01:47.the story about how you beat me. you took off like a scared rabbit

:01:48. > :01:53.and it took me ten miles to catch you. I did catch up with you and

:01:53. > :01:57.then you wouldn't let me run with you. It was such an unusual thing

:01:57. > :02:00.then to have so many people run across the Tyne Bridge. That itself

:02:00. > :02:05.was the thing which everyone took home with them and of course that

:02:05. > :02:10.became the famous shot of the race that people saw all around the

:02:11. > :02:15.world. And it is probably a good thing it comes so early in the race

:02:15. > :02:20.- everyone can still look good. Well they're racing now. Less than

:02:20. > :02:24.two miles to go in the men's race and the Olympic bronze medallist at

:02:24. > :02:29.the marathon. I saw him in the Olympics and I thought he was

:02:29. > :02:35.running fantastic in that marathon. I thought his pace work was silly,

:02:35. > :02:44.I don't know why he did what he did. He came back strongly and finished

:02:44. > :02:54.third. But he ran such a fast race, here is Kipsang over the half

:02:54. > :02:58.marathon distance with the 10,000 metre bronze medallist. Now we have

:02:58. > :03:04.got a real race in the men's event. It is going to be a quick one. It

:03:04. > :03:09.is going to be under the hour. We have got two athletes with pedigree.

:03:09. > :03:12.But who will prevail? We have a competitive race, they may be

:03:12. > :03:22.friends and training partners, but when the gun starts the race and

:03:22. > :03:26.

:03:26. > :03:33.they get going, it is a competition. Well Kipsang had his first real

:03:33. > :03:41.break through at the Delhi half marathon. He ran subone hour. And

:03:41. > :03:50.then the year after that he ran 58. 59. He was the fourth man to run

:03:50. > :03:54.under 59 minutes. Although that may have slipped by them today, it just

:03:54. > :04:00.slipped away from the possibility of running under 59 minutes. But

:04:00. > :04:05.certainly it will be under the hour. But this sois fast it hurts your

:04:05. > :04:10.legs. Kipsang's free running, letting himself go. Kogo is holding

:04:10. > :04:15.himself back. And then the gap appears and Kipsang has used that

:04:15. > :04:19.hill well and that gap I think will only build. Is that the move that

:04:19. > :04:23.makes the victory for the London marathon winner? 12 miles completed.

:04:23. > :04:27.He is now going to lead. But we have seen him in the lead before

:04:27. > :04:32.and we have seen him surrender the lead on several occasions during

:04:32. > :04:39.the Olympics and Micah Kogo, who took it easier down the hill is

:04:39. > :04:43.closing again. So the tactics of Wilson Kipsang don't look like they

:04:43. > :04:47.have worked. Micah Kogo closes the gap and gets right in behind Wilson

:04:47. > :04:52.Kipsang. What looked like a move that would win the race now looks

:04:52. > :05:00.like a move that has tired his legs and Micah Kogo has come down the

:05:00. > :05:06.hill and he is fresher. Well Micah Kogo goes better uphill than down

:05:06. > :05:12.hill. Kipsang's pace judgment isn't his strength. His running ability

:05:12. > :05:19.is his strength. He has to work had. That gap, there was a significant

:05:19. > :05:23.gap. He knew he had a gap. Kogo didn't panic and he is back in

:05:23. > :05:29.front. And coaches say when you catch somebody, they always say, go

:05:29. > :05:34.past them if you have got the momentum. Now two rejoined in

:05:34. > :05:39.battle. Just less than a mile to go. Less than five minutes of running.

:05:39. > :05:44.In the rain here it is just drizzling. Conditions are

:05:44. > :05:52.prosecutey good for quick running. -- pretty good for quick running.

:05:52. > :05:58.But who is going to win? Kogo and Kipsang. Well Micah Kogo, Olympic

:05:58. > :06:06.bronze medallist at 10,000 metres, held the best time for 10,000

:06:06. > :06:10.metres on the road a few years ago. Now Wilson Kipsang, who is the

:06:10. > :06:16.second fastest marathon runner ever, is in a position you might want to

:06:16. > :06:24.be. He is just on the shoulder of the leader. He probably ran too

:06:24. > :06:29.quickly down the hill. Now this is the key point. Can Kogo pull away

:06:29. > :06:34.from Kipsang or can Kipsang keep him in his sight and then we will

:06:34. > :06:40.find out who is the fastest finisher. Kipsang is a winner, he

:06:40. > :06:44.has won the London marathon this year. It would be a great one for

:06:44. > :06:50.him to add this Great North Run to his events that he has won in the

:06:50. > :06:56.UK. He was disappointing in London. He was fabulous in the London

:06:56. > :07:03.marathon. He was fantastic last year in Frankfurt, now which kind

:07:03. > :07:06.of performance are we going to see? Imane Merga, the world cross

:07:06. > :07:10.country champion, the athlete they were scared of and Micah Kogo

:07:11. > :07:14.glances over his shoulder and just a few yards, but not quite enough

:07:14. > :07:19.yet. We have still got a race. It is going to be fast in the last

:07:19. > :07:24.part of the race and it will end up in a quicker time than it looked

:07:24. > :07:31.like at the half way point. But now the two Kenyans are battling it out

:07:31. > :07:36.for victory. They can sense the finish, the crowds pilding either

:07:37. > :07:42.side of them. -- building either side of them. But this race is not

:07:42. > :07:51.over yet. Kogo trying to force the issue. Kipsang trying to hang on

:07:51. > :07:57.and see if he can find something in the last 200 metres. Two or three

:07:57. > :08:04.metres between the two of them. No more than that. Kogo not renowned

:08:04. > :08:10.for his sprint finish. I'm not sure Kipsang is either. They always talk

:08:10. > :08:17.about that little elastic band keeping you close and in tufplt 400

:08:17. > :08:21.metres to go. Kogo hasn't got enough. Who will it be? Who is the

:08:21. > :08:28.fastest sprinter? You want to see Kipsang move alongside him. That is

:08:28. > :08:36.the move. That is inside the last 400 metres. Can he catch Kogo and

:08:36. > :08:44.sprint like the 10,000 metre runner? Micah Kogo is stretching.

:08:44. > :08:51.Kip Stang's racing him. They are coming down to a fast finish. Is

:08:51. > :08:57.either got anything left. Kogo takes another look. Kipsang looks

:08:57. > :09:05.as though he is broken. It will be Micah Kogo. He has 100 metres to go

:09:05. > :09:12.and here comes Kipsang again. We're going to see a great finish.

:09:12. > :09:19.Kipsang comes again and Kipsang takes it on the line! Wow! What a

:09:19. > :09:24.finish from those two! The -- one of the best finishes we have seen

:09:24. > :09:28.at the Great North Run. Kipsang left it so late. We will wait for

:09:28. > :09:32.official confirmation, but may well be the second fastest ever Great

:09:32. > :09:36.North Run. Very close do the time from 2005. It wasn't a course

:09:36. > :09:42.record. That was last year. But what a race from these two. Kogo

:09:42. > :09:50.must have thought he had it won. He kept looking behind. And couldn't

:09:50. > :09:57.really see him getting beat 50 metres out and then all of a sudden

:09:57. > :10:02.Kipsang raised his game. Merga's has had a good strong finish and

:10:02. > :10:11.will take third. The Ethiopian finishing his season with a good

:10:11. > :10:17.performance, rung under an hour in his debut at the half marathon.

:10:17. > :10:26.Kigen is coming through in fourth place. He has ran under an hour in

:10:26. > :10:31.the past. Chris Thompson finishing vongly as well. -- strongly as well.

:10:31. > :10:38.I think he will be in fifth place. I can see him approaching the

:10:38. > :10:44.finish. There he is. Chris has been running strongly. His best goes

:10:44. > :10:49.back to earlier on this year. He may catch him. Thompson is about 30

:10:49. > :10:57.metres behind him. There he is. Running strongly here. He has got

:10:57. > :11:04.one of the best sprint finishes. It has been a good performance and

:11:04. > :11:10.Chris Thompson will run a big personal best in sixth. A great run

:11:10. > :11:18.from Chris. Just around 61 minutes. You might see the official time.

:11:18. > :11:26.Paul Evans and Mo Farah and maybe Steve Jones has run 60 minutes.

:11:26. > :11:31.That moves him up the British all time list. Collis Birmingham, the

:11:32. > :11:37.Aussie, couldn't quite stay with them. That is a big personal best

:11:37. > :11:44.for the Australian as well. Taking a couple of minutes off his best

:11:44. > :11:48.half marathon time. Plenty of drama there at the end, Brendan? Well the

:11:48. > :11:53.London marathon winner stole the Great North Run in the last 20

:11:53. > :11:59.metres. Didn't have it won at 2 hundred, didn't have it one at 100.

:11:59. > :12:04.He looked as if he couldn't win it and then the competitive juices

:12:04. > :12:10.flew and he flew. I was impressed with Chris Thompson's performance.

:12:10. > :12:14.That maybe shows the way for him. Can he move to the marathon? That

:12:14. > :12:21.was an excellent just under 61 minutes for the half marathon. And

:12:21. > :12:27.he is in good company when he looks at the results, there are some

:12:27. > :12:37.outstanding athletes ahead of him. None more so than Wilson Kipsang of

:12:37. > :12:53.

:12:53. > :13:03.Kipsang by one second. A great performance from Chris Thompson in

:13:03. > :13:06.

:13:06. > :13:11.sixth place. A personal best for Collis Birmingham in seventh. Well

:13:11. > :13:19.there is the scene at the Tyne Bridge. I can tell you that we

:13:19. > :13:29.think the last person has crossed the start line. Back a mile and a

:13:29. > :13:33.half behind these folks, the start finally clear. 39,953 exactly. Just

:13:33. > :13:40.under 40,000 people have set off on thisier's Great North Run. Look

:13:40. > :13:43.there, we have runners finishing in front of us in South Shields and

:13:43. > :13:49.back through the course, you can almost see through mist and rain,

:13:49. > :13:55.you can see them running through South Shields and thil go all the

:13:55. > :14:00.way back through Jarrow, through parts of Hebburn, and then through

:14:00. > :14:05.Gateshead and we have seen them at the other end coming across the

:14:05. > :14:10.Tyne Bridge. There we have got 13 miles almost, the human chain,

:14:10. > :14:16.stretching from South Shields to Newcastle. And the -- they're

:14:16. > :14:26.crowded as they move on through and we go back down the course. These

:14:26. > :14:26.

:14:26. > :14:32.are the roads where Steve Cram spent many of his time. There is

:14:32. > :14:36.the cue o' o' - queue for the Tyne Tunnel. The roads around here are

:14:36. > :14:43.closed and there is no way they will be open for a few hours yet.

:14:43. > :14:48.We head back towards the Yorke Avenue area, where the Jarrow

:14:48. > :14:53.stadium, where Steve did a lot of his training. That was in the days

:14:53. > :15:03.before overseas trips. You had to train at home. This was warm

:15:03. > :15:04.

:15:04. > :15:07.and you know this, it's partly your fault, back when we were running

:15:07. > :15:13.along these streets it was very unusual, you would never see anyone

:15:13. > :15:19.running around the streets of Jarrow and Tyneside. Like the rest

:15:19. > :15:24.of the country, it's a sight nobody blinks an eye at now and this is

:15:24. > :15:27.one of the events along with the the London marathon that's

:15:27. > :15:32.encouraged many people out on to the streets. You talk about the old

:15:32. > :15:38.days, when you saw people, you knew them because they were members of

:15:38. > :15:45.the club. Now days, no one knows all these people, not even you.

:15:45. > :15:55.thought you personally invited every single one to take part! Well,

:15:55. > :15:56.

:15:56. > :16:04.this is White Mare Pool. Then the Felling by-pass where

:16:04. > :16:07.they're guided down and take us back up towards the roundabout. Up

:16:07. > :16:13.to this point they've used both sides of the carriageway and they

:16:13. > :16:18.get pushed to one side to take that turn at White Mare Pool. I don't

:16:18. > :16:21.think we have seen this before, it's fantastic. Up towards

:16:22. > :16:25.Gateshead Stadium soon and the crowds are still out there on a

:16:25. > :16:32.rainy day, which is not great for the spectators, but it's fantastic

:16:32. > :16:38.for the runners. There's quite a few of them to be concerned about.

:16:38. > :16:41.There we go, almost ten miles of runners now on the road.

:16:41. > :16:46.I am fascinated by this, because we have never seen this before. This

:16:47. > :16:51.is wonderful. We must have been there close to Gateshead Stadium

:16:51. > :16:59.before it turns right. Then about another mile back to Gateshead

:17:00. > :17:03.Stadium. Of course, the important thing for

:17:04. > :17:08.all of the athletes taking part, pacing themselves and quite well

:17:08. > :17:11.spread out at this point. These are the ones who will be aiming to

:17:11. > :17:17.probably get maybe two and a half hours, two, three hours sort of

:17:17. > :17:21.time. This is the BBC television traffic warning, the roads are busy

:17:21. > :17:26.and congested between Newcastle and South Shields today! Always wanted

:17:26. > :17:33.to do a BBC television forecast like that. That was good. There is

:17:33. > :17:37.the stadium. Just to the right there we will see Gateshead Stadium.

:17:37. > :17:41.Still they stream past. The news for them coming past the stadium,

:17:41. > :17:48.you still have ten miles to go. Don't worry, we will be waiting for

:17:48. > :17:55.you at the end. There it swings right now, goes overhead. There is

:17:55. > :18:03.the route, still with runners. Fascinating to see this. Now the

:18:03. > :18:11.right turn, down towards the Tyne Bridge and still crowds climbing

:18:11. > :18:16.away from the Tyne Bridge. There, almost on to the Tyne Bridge, the

:18:16. > :18:24.Hilton Hotel, the River Tyne and famous bridge, still with people.

:18:24. > :18:34.It's more than ten miles. It's more than 12 miles. Massive humanity

:18:34. > :18:35.

:18:35. > :18:44.filling the streets. Congestion on Tyneside captured in a few moments

:18:44. > :18:50.of heli-telly. Different conditions a couple of

:18:50. > :18:57.hours ago, the first finishes were the wheelchair races and Josh

:18:57. > :19:06.Cassidy, a fine Canadian racer came home for his third victory and

:19:06. > :19:09.joined a group of competitors to have got multiwins in this event.

:19:09. > :19:15.Almost a couple of minutes outside David Weir's course record that he

:19:15. > :19:20.set back in 2009. A good result for Phil Hogg and

:19:20. > :19:24.Ross Low taking second and third. Some way behind Josh Cassidy, who

:19:24. > :19:34.had it all to himself this morning. A brilliant race indeed from the

:19:34. > :19:36.

:19:36. > :19:40.Congratulations. You must like this course. It's a good course for me.

:19:40. > :19:44.I enjoy it and I always love coming back to Newcastle, as well. This is

:19:44. > :19:48.your third victory? Yeah, I believe so, yeah. It's becoming like a

:19:48. > :19:52.second home and a tradition for me here. You went out very quickly,

:19:52. > :19:57.three miles you just broke away. Was that the tactic or did you just

:19:57. > :20:00.go for it? I wanted to go at my own pace and I was unwell during the

:20:00. > :20:05.Games so I am a bit weak, but coming back and wanted to test

:20:05. > :20:09.myself. It was so disappointing for you at the Paralympics but I guess,

:20:09. > :20:15.great that you are now back. London did a wonderful job, as well. You

:20:15. > :20:20.know, the UK means a lot to me. My agent's here and my chair company

:20:20. > :20:27.in Cambridge and it's like a second home away from home. The weather's

:20:27. > :20:31.not so good, I am bet you are glad it wasn't raining during your race.

:20:31. > :20:36.Happy for that. You wanted to go out and enjoy it, did you like the

:20:36. > :20:44.experience? Definitely. It's different from 100 metres, but yeah,

:20:44. > :20:48.definitely enjoyed it. Seven minutes behind him... Going from a

:20:48. > :20:56.sprint to a half marathon, it was brave of you. Brave or stupid, I

:20:56. > :20:59.don't know which one. Yeah, it's a bit of fun and enjoyed it and got a

:20:59. > :21:03.PB today. It's the start of the future or are you going back to

:21:03. > :21:13.sprinting? I will stick with sprinting for now. I can't compete

:21:13. > :21:20.

:21:20. > :21:30.with Josh just yet. Congratulations. last couple of thousand runners

:21:30. > :21:36.

:21:36. > :21:40.crossing the Tyne Bridge, only got 11 and a bit miles to go.

:21:41. > :21:46.The women's race set off in slightly better conditions and and

:21:46. > :21:55.we were all looking forward to the first ever half marathon of

:21:55. > :22:00.Tirunesh Dibaba and against her Tiki Gelana and Edna Kiplagat. It

:22:00. > :22:03.was down to these three when they came on to the coast at South

:22:03. > :22:10.Shields. Jo Pavey had done good early pacing but it was always

:22:10. > :22:16.going to come down to these three and it was Gelana who was the first

:22:16. > :22:24.to falter. Her team-mate made her first big effort to win. In the

:22:24. > :22:27.last 2 hundred metres her trademark superkick came into effect and won

:22:27. > :22:36.the Great North Run in fine style and maybe a hint of what's to come

:22:36. > :22:46.in the future on the roads for Tirunesh Dibaba. Kiplagat took

:22:46. > :23:00.

:23:00. > :23:10.second and Gelana third. The personal best for her under the UK

:23:10. > :23:36.

:23:36. > :23:41.all-time top ten list with 70 good for me. It's my first...

:23:41. > :23:45.Well, sorry we lost that interview with Tirunesh Dibaba, we will

:23:45. > :23:55.hopefully be able to hear from her shortly. As I was saying before,

:23:55. > :23:55.

:23:55. > :23:58.that really it does think just whet the appetite for what's surely a

:23:58. > :24:01.great career for her on the roads as she does move up to the half

:24:01. > :24:04.marathon and I am sure we will see her back here in years after her

:24:04. > :24:11.winning debut. I have just heard the news from the

:24:11. > :24:15.start that we have had 39953 people have crossed the start line, that's

:24:15. > :24:20.the most ever, the biggest ever Great North Run, beating the

:24:20. > :24:24.previous best by about 500. So almost 40,000 runners are now on

:24:24. > :24:28.their way, very few of them have finished, an awful lot of them have

:24:28. > :24:36.crossed the Tyne Bridge but basically the race is under way and

:24:36. > :24:40.the start area will be allowed to be dismantled. We are looking along

:24:40. > :24:43.the seafront. 800 metres to go for these good athletes, club athletes

:24:43. > :24:50.from all around the country. Lots of them running for personal bests

:24:50. > :24:56.and on a day like today you would have a chance. The training that's

:24:56. > :24:59.behind them, and there we are as the crowds await the finishers.

:24:59. > :25:05.Sorry about that problem we had a couple of minutes ago. Let's now go

:25:05. > :25:15.and hear from Tirunesh Dibaba, the winner of this year's Great North

:25:15. > :25:19.

:25:19. > :25:24.Run. Congratulations, how did you enjoy it out there?

:25:24. > :25:29.TRANSLATION: It was a good race. The course was

:25:29. > :25:36.good for me. It's my first debut in running in the Great North Run. I

:25:36. > :25:40.enjoyed it. But at the last moment there was the rain, but I can't do

:25:40. > :25:50.anything about that, but it was a very good race. It was quite a

:25:50. > :25:59.

:25:59. > :26:03.battle with Edna Kiplagat. TRANSLATION:

:26:03. > :26:07.Edna is a very good runner. She has experience on the roads and I knew

:26:07. > :26:11.I was going to get a challenge there. It was a good run. It's my

:26:11. > :26:16.first time in running the road race, but still it was a good competition

:26:16. > :26:26.for both of us. You seem to handle the hills uphill and downhill so

:26:26. > :26:44.

:26:44. > :26:49.well. Yeah, it's quite a challenge for me to run downhill, and

:26:49. > :26:54.hopefully next time I get a better time and for me it was a good run.

:26:54. > :27:04.The experience for me today was good. And what next? A marathon

:27:04. > :27:05.

:27:05. > :27:09.maybe coming up? I am thinking of running marathon maybe next year.

:27:09. > :27:14.Fantastic. I think a great future there and congratulations today.

:27:14. > :27:18.Well done. Thank you. Well done indeed. Apart from being Olympic

:27:18. > :27:23.champion other things she has in common with Mo Farah, she is an

:27:23. > :27:30.Arsenal supporter, apparently so she she should be happy with their

:27:30. > :27:34.performance yesterday. Someone else happy with 2012 is Jo Pavey and she

:27:34. > :27:38.spoke to Sue after. They were saying so close to your personal

:27:38. > :27:46.best, you you must be pleased with today? I was pleased. I wish coy

:27:46. > :27:50.have stayed up with the top few. At one point they got away. I kept

:27:51. > :27:55.going. I would have liked to have been up with them but it wasn't a

:27:55. > :27:58.bad time. Just trying to get my road legs back now. It's pwb a --

:27:58. > :28:02.been a heck of a year because you thought you were maybe going for

:28:02. > :28:06.the marathon at the Olympics and then you had to go on the track. It

:28:07. > :28:10.hasn't been an easy year. I really enjoyed this year being back on the

:28:10. > :28:14.track and having the opportunity to do the five and ten in the Olympic

:28:14. > :28:19.Stadium was awesome and now having this Great North Run to actually

:28:19. > :28:22.get back on the roads, it's been a big target to keep training, keep

:28:22. > :28:25.motivation there. Today was such a tough field. You had two Olympic

:28:25. > :28:30.champions and a world champion. So, it was always going to be really

:28:30. > :28:34.hard. It wasn't too bad. I look forward now to trying to do a

:28:34. > :28:38.marathon in the autumn and this is really excited me for getting back

:28:38. > :28:43.on the roads again. I enjoyed it out there, even though it's tough,

:28:43. > :28:53.it's an amazing event. Good year for Jo Pavey. Look forward to more

:28:53. > :28:53.

:28:53. > :28:57.from her. Keep herself injury-free and I am sure she will run well. A

:28:57. > :29:00.lot of the better club athletes towards the finish now. They

:29:00. > :29:05.haven't started using the main finish. They're still crossing the

:29:05. > :29:14.finish line reserved for the elite runners.

:29:14. > :29:24.This is next to us here. I am trying to see the clock. 1269 -- is

:29:24. > :29:25.

:29:26. > :29:31.it 69 minutes? -- 79 minutes. They're streaming through here,

:29:31. > :29:41.Steve, on their way to the finish line. Let's have a look back on

:29:41. > :29:48.

:29:48. > :29:54.what happened in the men's elite The massed ranks behind them and

:29:54. > :30:02.the quick sprint start. Quickly they settled down to a race between

:30:02. > :30:08.the men who we thought would run well here, Kipsang, Merga and men

:30:08. > :30:14.with great pedigree. Some were here for the first time, including Micah

:30:14. > :30:19.Kogo. Micah Kogo pulled away with Kipsang. Merga rallied to wards the

:30:19. > :30:27.end. But it was between these two. After Kipsang opened up a gap,

:30:27. > :30:32.Micah Kogo forged ahead. But in the last 50 metres, Kipsang produced a

:30:32. > :30:38.brilliant sprint finish to take the title. A superb run from him. Timed

:30:38. > :30:48.it to perfection and after 13.1 miles it came down to the last 20

:30:48. > :30:50.

:30:51. > :30:57.metres or. So Kogo losing out, but a personal best for him. Wilson

:30:57. > :31:04.Kipsang winning in his second fastest half marathon. A personal

:31:04. > :31:12.best for Micah Kogo in second. A good performance from Chris

:31:12. > :31:18.Thompson in sixth place with a personal best of 61 minutes exactly.

:31:18. > :31:28.Congratulations, but first talk us through that finish. I think the

:31:28. > :31:28.

:31:29. > :31:34.finish was quite fantastic. Because I saw he had no spirit and I

:31:34. > :31:39.decided to sprint. Where did you find that extra energy? Towards the

:31:39. > :31:44.last part I tried to, I believe in myself and I know that sometimes

:31:44. > :31:50.really I can sprint. That is why I thought that for me winning this

:31:50. > :31:58.race was very good for me. It was quite a battle, there was nothing

:31:58. > :32:02.between you. It was a tough battle, but it assisted us to run a faster

:32:02. > :32:07.time. What does this mean to you, you didn't know the course. What

:32:07. > :32:13.did you make of it? It was my first time in the Great North Run and I

:32:13. > :32:17.have really liked racing in the United Kingdom and London and the

:32:17. > :32:22.Olympics bronze and I thought that could be good for me in this race.

:32:22. > :32:27.The course was nice, a lot of people cheering and it was

:32:27. > :32:33.fantastic. You destroyed the field at the London marathon, how was the

:32:33. > :32:40.Olympics for you? I think the Olympic experience was good for me,

:32:40. > :32:45.because despite I lost the gold, it was nice to compete. But it was

:32:45. > :32:49.very hot. I thought my body could not sustain me towards the last

:32:49. > :32:54.part. Because of the weather. But today's weather was very nice. I

:32:54. > :33:02.like it very much. I think this rain will help the runners. What is

:33:02. > :33:08.next for you? I think at the moment I'm going home. I have seen my

:33:08. > :33:16.recovery is going well after the Olympics. Will we see you in London

:33:16. > :33:20.next year? God willing I will be there to defend my title. Well done.

:33:20. > :33:26.STEVE CRAM: One of the fastest marathon runners in the world. It

:33:26. > :33:31.will be great to see him in London next year. He lft it late, but with

:33:31. > :33:37.perfect timing. For the next hour or so we're going to concentrate on

:33:37. > :33:43.some of the stories out there and some of performances of the 40,000

:33:43. > :33:47.or so who have set out on this half marathon. A lot of the messages you

:33:47. > :33:57.have been sending in, wanting to pass on your best wishes and

:33:57. > :33:57.

:33:57. > :37:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 195 seconds

:37:12. > :37:17.support to so many people who are way, although the rain is

:37:17. > :37:21.disappointing, it is probably welcome for the 40,000 people that

:37:21. > :37:26.have started this Great North Run. And throughout the next hour or so,

:37:26. > :37:30.we will hear so many stories of courage and commitment. Everyone

:37:31. > :37:36.rung today has a story to tell. We will join our reporters around the

:37:36. > :37:42.course and first to Denise at the half-way point. The breakfast team

:37:42. > :37:47.are coming through. Suzanna Reid, how are you feel something When Sue

:37:48. > :37:53.Barker said she thought it was uphill all the way. I thought she

:37:53. > :37:59.was joking. It feel like it is uphill. I last ran this 15 years

:37:59. > :38:05.ago and I remember it as being great fun, but I was 25 then, I'm

:38:05. > :38:11.over 40 how. It is harder. crowds have been out. Yes and thank

:38:11. > :38:18.you for the jelly babies, the ice pops, the water the soft drinks. It

:38:18. > :38:28.keeps us going. Keep going. Thank you and you're an inspiration.

:38:28. > :38:29.

:38:29. > :38:37.Thank you, you too. I have been interviewing the elite finishes and

:38:37. > :38:44.James Cracknell, how fast were you. 1.21. My bracket, 1.25 would have

:38:44. > :38:50.been the top end and the rain has been a problem. It is breezy. I saw

:38:50. > :38:55.the guy who won and I had to ask has he run or not? Because he looks

:38:55. > :39:03.as fresh as a dazey. And he looks like he has not eaten anything.

:39:03. > :39:07.won it with a sprint finish. It was an amazing race. How was it for you.

:39:07. > :39:13.I drove the course, and so many crowds. Tinge Olympics and

:39:13. > :39:19.Paralympics has inspired people. Did you notice more people?

:39:19. > :39:23.noticed more yesterday for the Great City Games. Today,

:39:23. > :39:27.considering the weather, the people there were cheering all sorts on.

:39:27. > :39:31.That is what made the Olympics and the Paralympics great, our crowd

:39:31. > :39:38.cheered on the winners and through the field. That is what you're

:39:38. > :39:44.getting here. Wilson running quick and the guy carrying a fridge and

:39:44. > :39:49.the one lesson I will take from the Olympics, you can't get fit just by

:39:49. > :39:53.watching. I watched a lot of runners, Mo's speed, I watched him

:39:53. > :40:00.but it didn't go to my legs. Watching the Olympics you must have

:40:00. > :40:08.been proud of the rowers? Yes I know what pressure there is. And it

:40:08. > :40:15.was great for our sport. Spirbl he -- especially for the women's team

:40:15. > :40:20.to get three gold medals. And Kath granger as well. Yes that shows

:40:20. > :40:26.that silver in the enough. And they beat the men three to one. So the

:40:27. > :40:33.men next time will be back. There was a competitive chat with you and

:40:33. > :40:39.Iwan Toms at the top? Did you leave him for dust? My aim was to be

:40:39. > :40:44.ahead of 4 hundred metre and then if I beat him by 10 minutes, dinner

:40:44. > :40:51.and a few drinks on him. Ifless not through in the next few seconds, he

:40:52. > :41:01.needs to find most expensive restaurant in Newcastle. I well --

:41:01. > :41:07.will help you that. Well done and now back to Denise. Imwith Jemma,

:41:07. > :41:13.tell us your story. I finished my third cycle of chemotherapy today

:41:13. > :41:20.and I'm running for an appeal to raise money for a young person's

:41:20. > :41:26.cancer unit. I'm hoping to raise more for the Unite. But it is tough

:41:26. > :41:32.there. -- unit. You finished your chemotherapy on Thursday? Yes I had

:41:32. > :41:39.to go on Saturday and have some blood test to check I was OK to run.

:41:39. > :41:47.I'm running with my family. Come on over. This my mum and sister and my

:41:47. > :41:53.dad is here. You're inspirational. All of you. Thank you for your

:41:53. > :41:58.support. Hope you raise much more money. Great to talk to you Gemma.

:41:58. > :42:06.Thank you, bye. The half way point and still a long way to go. These

:42:06. > :42:11.are the finishers and no doubt James will keep on eye out for Iwan

:42:11. > :42:18.Thomas. You can see many smiles on the faces. It is a job well done.

:42:18. > :42:25.More more -- more stories to come. But it is hard to imagine the time

:42:25. > :42:30.we did not see these sights. Since the first race, more than 50,000

:42:30. > :42:35.runners applied for places in 1982. A lot has changed in 30 years, but

:42:35. > :42:43.the Great North Run still looks pretty much the same now as it did

:42:43. > :42:49.then. The cry in 82, come on north- east, come on UK. It was a cheeky

:42:49. > :42:54.road race with fun at its heart. It was capturing the public's

:42:54. > :43:02.imagination and the applications poured in. The fine tuning was

:43:02. > :43:09.taking place. Whatever was needed to get you through, this half

:43:09. > :43:13.marathon lot took spirit of all kinds. Local hero Mike McLeod

:43:13. > :43:23.showed how the elite do it. But whatever the number and whatever

:43:23. > :43:25.

:43:25. > :43:30.the age. Whatever the way to get home, they found their own success.

:43:30. > :43:40.McLeod may have won that second run to defend his title. But the wider

:43:40. > :43:51.

:43:51. > :43:58.victory was for region and for the race is Tony, another gang of

:43:58. > :44:07.Emmerdale people running, you have done it again. I have done 1.31 but

:44:07. > :44:12.I was beaten by the real Bob from Emmerdale. He has gone below 1.30.

:44:12. > :44:16.The crew have beaten the cast. The ribbing will be unbearable. Running

:44:16. > :44:22.for the Pride of Britain and leukaemia and lymphoma research. It

:44:22. > :44:27.was nice conditions, very cool. Tell me about the at fear. We're

:44:27. > :44:31.hoping the Olympic spirit would carry on. -- atmosphere. Yes people

:44:31. > :44:36.have got behind the sport and people feel part of sport and if

:44:36. > :44:41.this can inspire people to get and register for these races, the Bupa

:44:41. > :44:47.races are fantastic. There is races all over the place. You can do it

:44:47. > :44:57.you know. You can. Great to sea you, congratulations. Thank you nice

:44:57. > :44:57.

:44:57. > :45:07.one! I'm here with Chris Thompson. That was a fantastic time, but

:45:07. > :45:14.

:45:14. > :45:23.world, I beat him, he was getting worried, I was like I am coming for

:45:23. > :45:28.you, son! I couldn't quite get under. But I am over the moon. It's

:45:28. > :45:32.just timing with my injuries, I knew we had done great work this

:45:32. > :45:37.winter and I knew I was in great shape and that's proved to myself

:45:37. > :45:42.and the group around me that I was ready to do something good, but

:45:42. > :45:45.again timings. Six weeks on, but I am on a break now. Go back to the

:45:45. > :45:49.old training and hopefully come back next year stronger for Moscow.

:45:49. > :45:53.You talk about the injuries, for people at home you have had more

:45:54. > :45:58.than your fair share over the years. I have had a few. I did a

:45:58. > :46:02.motivation talk mid-week in Southampton and I was just listing

:46:02. > :46:07.these things that happened to me and - as an athlete things happen

:46:07. > :46:10.and you get on with it and coy see faces as I was talking just going...

:46:10. > :46:14.And kind of sometimes when you actually speak about these things

:46:14. > :46:18.you realise actually, I have not had the best of luck. You just get

:46:18. > :46:23.things and you get on with it. I was lying on my back the week

:46:24. > :46:29.before the Olympics with my hamstring torn, going am I ever

:46:29. > :46:32.going to get there? It's a sport and everybody has a story and you

:46:32. > :46:38.have to keep coming back stronger and not let up and today I proved

:46:38. > :46:43.the Olympics what it was and six weeks later I have run a PB for

:46:43. > :46:51.half marathon. Massive PB. seconds I think it was. Only run

:46:51. > :46:59.two half marathons and - call it - we had a whip round in the audience

:46:59. > :47:05.and they all agreed 60, 59. It's official! What next for you? Next

:47:05. > :47:09.year's going to be, I think I had a brief - we were half thinking about

:47:09. > :47:16.changing up maybe, like in terms of going up on to the road more often

:47:16. > :47:19.but because the summer worked out the way it was, we need to sit down

:47:19. > :47:23.and the group around us and figure what exactly we are going to do. I

:47:23. > :47:26.think it's going to be - we were so close this year to doing something

:47:26. > :47:31.great on the track and I think that's still probably going to be

:47:31. > :47:35.the plan, Moscow 10K because it's worth it. We were excited. The last

:47:35. > :47:41.session I did before, well, third to last session before I hurt my

:47:41. > :47:45.back, he high-fived me. It's hard to get a high-five out of Mark and

:47:45. > :47:49.a big smile like that out of him. I thought I think I have done

:47:49. > :47:53.something good there! We were getting excited and Martin as well

:47:53. > :47:57.was over the moon and getting excited for me as well.

:47:57. > :48:01.Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. But if we do the same thing, except

:48:01. > :48:04.don't get injured, I know that sounds simple but it's getting it

:48:04. > :48:10.right to the edge without going over the top and hopefully next

:48:10. > :48:14.year we will go right to the edge without going over and hopefully I

:48:14. > :48:17.will be there getting as close as toeubg Mo because he is an

:48:17. > :48:21.inspiration. I don't need to beat him to get a medal because he is

:48:21. > :48:25.winning these things, so if I can hold on to his coat tails I might

:48:25. > :48:29.get close to one. We will see. Hopefully same thing, I will come

:48:29. > :48:32.back, I won't stop. Brick wall won't stop me. There is a couple

:48:32. > :48:37.impressed with you in our commentary box, they thought you

:48:37. > :48:43.ran brilliant. Thanks boys up there. Cheers. Thank you.

:48:43. > :48:49.Well done, Chris. Splendid performance from him. Of course,

:48:49. > :48:54.Chris helped by so many people to try and get himself fit and healthy.

:48:55. > :49:04.Let's hope he can come back and run well next year on the track. Just

:49:05. > :49:06.

:49:06. > :49:16.seen Paul Bryce, running for charity. Lucy Phillipson and Brian

:49:16. > :49:22.

:49:22. > :49:29.Whittle. Josie Cram. She's still out there and running well, we

:49:29. > :49:33.gather. Good throubg all the runners running for Star light

:49:33. > :49:38.helping make dreams of children across the UK come true. 70-year-

:49:38. > :49:42.old John Stevenson running for the British Heart Foundation and for

:49:42. > :49:45.the English Federation of Disability Sport, Nicola, she's

:49:45. > :49:55.trying raise money to buy a wheelchair for her three-year-old

:49:55. > :49:59.son. And Liz Neil, hopes to finish before it gets dark this evening.

:49:59. > :50:06.They've plenty of time. Also a couple of teachers from pwrepb

:50:06. > :50:11.can's -- Brendan's old school. They're running with 6th form

:50:11. > :50:15.pupils, raising run for a museum that many people would know about.

:50:15. > :50:19.I hope they're going well. They're just old enough to run in this

:50:19. > :50:29.Great North Run. Those who are younger than this had their day

:50:29. > :50:37.

:50:37. > :50:40.yesterday in the junior Great North raise money for Christian Aid. The

:50:40. > :50:44.children love running and they challenged me last year to do the

:50:44. > :50:51.Great North Run and I enjoyed it so much last year and the atmosphere I

:50:51. > :50:55.wanted to do it again. We run all the way back to the finish line.

:50:55. > :50:59.The atmosphere at the Great North Run is amazing. It brings out the

:50:59. > :51:03.best in the Geordie people. It's been amazing. People are so

:51:03. > :51:06.friendly and all the officials are cheering you on. It's been

:51:06. > :51:16.fantastic. I have done it five years, this is my last time,

:51:16. > :51:39.

:51:39. > :51:43.because I am 12. Good, a bit tired involved in a lot of of sporting

:51:43. > :51:47.activities around the home town. Because of the celebrity status, if

:51:47. > :51:49.you call it that, I can get involved in the sport and

:51:49. > :51:55.activities around here and hopefully inspire a lot of people

:51:55. > :52:00.to take up sport and that. It's a lovely day today. The sky's blue,

:52:00. > :52:04.there's palm trees, the beach and everybody's just out enjoying

:52:04. > :52:09.themselves and cheering on all the charities involved today. I am

:52:09. > :52:19.running for my God-sister who died with meningitis. I am running to

:52:19. > :52:21.

:52:21. > :52:28.raise money for that. It will be quite exciting to see Mo Farah with

:52:28. > :52:32.your own eyeballs. It's been great. We have seen Mo Farah, Greg

:52:32. > :52:36.Rutherford and all the athletes. It's been amazing. Mo is an

:52:36. > :52:40.inspiration. He is one of my heroes. I enjoyed watching him at the

:52:40. > :52:44.Olympics. He inspired us to keep going and doing what I have done,

:52:45. > :52:54.you know. I was watching Mo Farah running and he was amazing. I want

:52:55. > :53:01.

:53:01. > :53:06.any other year. I think the Olympics has inspired people to

:53:06. > :53:11.come out and watch more sport really. It was really good. It's

:53:11. > :53:15.grown over the years. You can tell how much bigger it's got and it's

:53:15. > :53:25.great to have junior races. It's a stepping stone to get ready for the

:53:25. > :53:26.

:53:26. > :53:31.next year, it's such a fantastic family event. The children really

:53:31. > :53:34.enjoy taking part. They're only going to get more fun out of it as

:53:34. > :53:39.they become more more accomplished runners and the atmosphere is

:53:39. > :53:49.brilliant. As you can see, it's always sunny in Newcastle, which is

:53:49. > :53:57.

:53:57. > :54:01.was a massive personal best for you. Yes, one hour 36. I got to the end

:54:01. > :54:05.bit there and I was like, I am going to sprint. I literally put

:54:05. > :54:08.the rockets on and off I went. the family out again? They're over

:54:08. > :54:11.there somewhere and some fans down here. Everybody was really

:54:11. > :54:16.supportive. How did it compare to last year? Everybody talks about

:54:16. > :54:19.the Olympics and Paralympics and it seemed a buzz. I think on the start

:54:19. > :54:23.line everybody was kind of more pumped up and hyped because of the

:54:23. > :54:29.Olympics and Paralympics. I think it's definitely helped. Obviously

:54:29. > :54:34.Mo Farah being at the start as well spurred everyone on. Was he doing

:54:34. > :54:41.the Mobot? We did it in a picture, it was funny. Are you going to be a

:54:41. > :54:44.regular in this now? I do it for the Teenager Cancer Trust every

:54:44. > :54:48.year. They tell us halfway through the year. But it's for charity. I

:54:48. > :54:52.am a patron. It's good fun. I don't mind it. And I like running. You

:54:52. > :54:58.never know. You are always busy, though. I know. The new album came

:54:58. > :55:02.out last week so I have been having to get up extra early to train, up

:55:02. > :55:08.at 5.00am most days. It's lovely to see you, congratulations. Go for

:55:08. > :55:12.another PB next year? Hopefully, yeah. Thank you.

:55:12. > :55:16.Joe is through and still hundreds of them making their way to the

:55:16. > :55:20.finish. I spotted another couple of celebrities, Jenny Falconer is

:55:20. > :55:24.through and Iwan Thomas has made it through. I have a feeling he is

:55:24. > :55:28.more than ten minutes after James Cracknell so he is probably going

:55:28. > :55:32.to have to deliver that dinner and wine later tonight. They're

:55:32. > :55:38.filtering through at the finish and they make their way back to meet

:55:38. > :55:41.their families and there is Sophie Raworth. Another celebrity, she

:55:41. > :55:45.said she was going to do a fast time. She's a regular here and it

:55:45. > :55:51.looks like another quick time, one hour 45 minutes for Sophie. Well

:55:51. > :55:55.done to her. We will be keeping an eye out for Susannah Reid and Sian

:55:55. > :55:58.Williams, two other news readers. They meet their families for

:55:58. > :56:08.pampering back in the charity village. Let's go back there now

:56:08. > :56:10.

:56:10. > :56:13.vast majority of runners competing today are here representing a

:56:13. > :56:18.charity. Once they've crossed the finish this is exactly where they

:56:18. > :56:22.come, this is the charity village. It's set up similarly to the New

:56:22. > :56:27.York grid system in the city. But we are in South Shields, it goes

:56:27. > :56:30.from A through to F and there are 99 tents here. Once the runners

:56:30. > :56:34.come through the finish and arrive here they'll have to find their

:56:34. > :56:38.charity but once they've done that they'll be welcomed with open arms,

:56:38. > :56:42.big smiles and a lot of loving. I have been here from early this

:56:42. > :56:48.morning to see how it's all set up and gets ready to go.

:56:48. > :56:56.We have massages on offer, cups of tea, everything they want. I have

:56:56. > :56:59.brought special banoffee for one of the runners who requested that.

:56:59. > :57:03.real cheer when people come back and it gets mad with people queuing.

:57:03. > :57:10.First of all, for massage, but also to get water and something to eat.

:57:10. > :57:15.When they come in they're given a drink and then a scone for them and

:57:15. > :57:18.it usually was donuts but scones this time. Love it and being

:57:18. > :57:21.amongst the people we are here to help, because we have volunteers

:57:21. > :57:25.who have been personally affected, some of the runners have been

:57:25. > :57:29.affected and they're fighting back. It's terrific. It's great, you hear

:57:29. > :57:34.stories, meet their families and that's what it's about. It's just

:57:34. > :57:39.lovely. I usually end up in tears, though. We have volunteers from 16

:57:39. > :57:43.to 82. Stella in the background, she volunteers every fundraising

:57:43. > :57:47.event we have going, she's brilliant. I lost my husband in the

:57:47. > :57:52.hospice and they've always helped me, so I am helping them back.

:57:52. > :57:54.will be emotional for a lot of runners who have close links to the

:57:54. > :57:59.hospice but hundreds of others just raise money because they're local

:57:59. > :58:04.to the hospice and want to support a good cause. There will be people

:58:04. > :58:09.who are limping and feeling dreadful with body aches and pains

:58:09. > :58:13.but they'll be elated to get to the finish line. It's a brilliant event.

:58:13. > :58:19.Everyone comes back, it's emotional. But we manage to raise a lot of

:58:19. > :58:23.money so we are grateful for everyone who takes part.

:58:23. > :58:33.Well done to them and many of our broadcasting colleagues out there

:58:33. > :58:33.

:58:33. > :58:38.today and that's 5 Live's Georgous George Riley, not looking so

:58:38. > :58:43.gorgeous at the minute! There he goes. Rachel Burden out there there

:58:43. > :58:50.somewhere as well, I think for 5 Live. We will let you know how

:58:50. > :58:55.Rachel gets on. One or two others to mention. Talking about TV

:58:55. > :59:01.presenters, from the north-east Pip Thompson who used to regularly show

:59:01. > :59:11.us the weather, now works for Sky News running for an animal

:59:11. > :59:11.

:59:11. > :59:16.sanctuary and for a charity, Chuff. Good luck, Pip.

:59:16. > :59:22.Not a celebrity, but 62-year-old Ian Irvine, running the Great North

:59:22. > :59:32.Run for the very first time today. He is running for Bowel Cancer UK

:59:32. > :59:34.

:59:35. > :59:40.and Charlie Webster running for Women's Aid. For many of those

:59:40. > :59:45.running today completing the 13.1 mile course is simply their way of

:59:45. > :59:55.saying thank you for helping others and all of them have their own

:59:55. > :00:05.

:00:05. > :00:11.Jonah was found drowned in a garden pond. He was resuscitated, but he

:00:11. > :00:17.was critically ill and transferred to graelt Ormond Street hospital.

:00:17. > :00:26.Where he was in a coma. Despite fears that he would be in hospital

:00:26. > :00:36.for many months, they were home 12 weeks later. Jonah's mum is running

:00:36. > :00:36.

:00:36. > :00:44.to help the charity. Cherry is running to raise awareness of

:00:44. > :00:51.cystic fibrosis. She was born with cystic fibrosis, a disease which

:00:51. > :00:56.causes progressive lung damage. In August 2011 she received a double

:00:56. > :01:05.lung transplant. She is running also for memory of her donor.

:01:05. > :01:11.June's husband is 41 and a fabulous father to three boys, he was a

:01:11. > :01:18.policeman, a footballer and a keen runner. Two months ago he suffered

:01:18. > :01:25.a massive brain stem stroke which has left him with locked in

:01:25. > :01:31.syndrome. He communicates by an eye movement activated computer. He has

:01:31. > :01:41.run the Great North Run ten times and planned to run with his wife.

:01:41. > :01:43.

:01:43. > :01:48.Judith is now running with two friends. SUE BARKER: Joining me

:01:48. > :01:52.Jenny Faulkner and Iwan Thomas. You looked in pain when you came across

:01:52. > :01:56.the line. Yes there was a lot of hills. I was, what another hill.

:01:56. > :02:01.Nobody told me that. It is good. I thought the rain would be

:02:01. > :02:08.horrendous. But it's helped and disguised the sweat. A good run and

:02:08. > :02:18.I am pleased I beat you. Oh don't. Only just. We have a joke on

:02:18. > :02:18.

:02:18. > :02:22.Twitter about who will beat us. Only two minutes ahead. 1.43.9

:02:22. > :02:27.actually. That is why you pushed yourself. Yes. We spoke to somebody

:02:27. > :02:32.who is pleased you did that time. Mr Cracknell is trying the find an

:02:32. > :02:38.expensive restaurant for you to treat him. Never bet against

:02:38. > :02:43.Crackers and that is what I did. He is an animal. But you know what is

:02:43. > :02:48.great to Brendan and the team. We had a chap Rhone and he kept me

:02:48. > :02:54.going. But no one told me about the the hill. Companion is a teacher

:02:54. > :03:00.and he got me up the hills. I was wanting a piggyback at one stage.

:03:00. > :03:04.They say it is great you have to do it. I agree. But there are a few

:03:04. > :03:08.inclines. Nobody told me about that. But it was good. The crowd were

:03:08. > :03:12.brilliant. The streets were packed and just thanks to them. It does

:03:12. > :03:16.help when you're hurting and the people are there cheering your name.

:03:16. > :03:21.They do say this is the best half marathon in the world and can I

:03:21. > :03:25.understand that. I get it come platly. You feel for some those in

:03:25. > :03:29.the costumes, they will be getting heavy. It has been quite a summer?

:03:29. > :03:34.You can't beat this year for sport. I don't know how we will top it.

:03:34. > :03:38.Being an ex-athlete, I was so proud and I can only imagine what it must

:03:38. > :03:42.be like to be one of the successful athletes this year. London and

:03:42. > :03:46.Britain have proved we can put on the best events in the world.

:03:46. > :03:50.would bpblt surprised if more people than ever have applied to

:03:50. > :03:54.take part. I was inspired by the Olympics and just the thought of

:03:54. > :04:02.going out. Even if you can't run fast, just to do some exercise, you

:04:02. > :04:10.should be inspired. We will call her an athlete. Will, because I'm

:04:10. > :04:18.always behind you. We will do a 400 race. As long as you're blind-

:04:18. > :04:25.folded. Enjoy the dinner and the bill tonight! Oh yeah! On they come

:04:25. > :04:34.and still I have been spotting more celebrities, Every one of these has

:04:34. > :04:39.a story to tell. As you can see, hundreds of people. I'm joined by

:04:39. > :04:44.Mark wall linger, Turner Praise winner. You're involved with the

:04:44. > :04:49.cultural side. Tell us about the film you made? Well it struck me

:04:49. > :04:56.that the BBC does a great job in covering this race and others, but

:04:56. > :05:01.in a way so many stories are there. The story of the elite runner or

:05:01. > :05:09.the experience of the race would be a new way of approaching the Great

:05:10. > :05:17.North Run. And so we fixed up for a point of view shot last year on

:05:17. > :05:21.front of a pick up and set off before the elite athletes and so it

:05:21. > :05:28.is a dream-like tracking shot all the way down the course. At the

:05:28. > :05:33.speed of the winner. So it is a relentless 13.1 miles an hour and

:05:33. > :05:40.brings home what is necessary to, yes to be a top athlete. Because

:05:40. > :05:45.the whole of Tyneside is out on the streets, looking back. It is a

:05:45. > :05:49.dream-like fantasy of running the race. But at the same time a

:05:49. > :05:59.fascinating picture of this area and the one day which is like a

:05:59. > :06:02.

:06:02. > :06:11.kind of carnival, normal rules don't apply. Through some kind of

:06:11. > :06:16.less is a Lubbe rows areas to real neighbourhoods. It has been shown

:06:16. > :06:22.at the Baltic at the moment. It is crammed with incident and it is a

:06:22. > :06:28.picture of yeah, a mean in a way, I'd like to see it 20 or 30 years

:06:28. > :06:36.hence. It will be quite a document of the time. But yeah,... That was

:06:36. > :06:41.the idea. You're a sports fan and you can see the crowds and were you

:06:42. > :06:46.surprised at the speed that they go at? Yes. I mean every time I

:06:46. > :06:55.watched it back. I have a moment where I'm thinking, this can't be

:06:55. > :07:03.real. But there it is. It is strictly actcrat. -- accurate. The

:07:03. > :07:09.fact it is so steadied lends it a surreal air. I mentioned you're a

:07:09. > :07:12.sports fan and we have talked about tennis stars of the past, but I

:07:12. > :07:20.know Mo fararbgs you have been a fan of his. Have you got to meet

:07:20. > :07:26.him? Yes I have. -- Mo Farah. I was at his charity auction a couple of

:07:27. > :07:35.weeks ago and yeah, we did the Mobot together. So I'm a terrific

:07:35. > :07:40.fan and what a summer it has been. Also the Olympics was wonderful for

:07:40. > :07:45.London? Yes it's transformed the way people think about London and I

:07:45. > :07:51.think we can proud of the face we turned to the world. As far as this

:07:51. > :07:56.event, you were in the car last year, out experiencing it, it is a

:07:57. > :08:02.real festival isn't it? Yes this is the third time I have, yeah, I have

:08:02. > :08:07.watched all the people come home. It is marvellous. Are you happier

:08:07. > :08:13.watching it than running it? I said something, yeah, pasty last year

:08:13. > :08:23.about that. I'm not going to go down that route again. But you

:08:23. > :08:25.

:08:25. > :08:33.never know. Stay back here. It is much better. Thank you. STEVE CRAM:

:08:33. > :08:40.Brollies up for those watching. I have seen Dr Emma Egging cross the

:08:40. > :08:45.line. Well inside two hours. We have about 7,000 finishers so far.

:08:45. > :08:55.One other racing for Cancer Research UK, David Sawyer. Good

:08:55. > :09:00.luck to him. BRENDAN FOSTER: Jed Grady is out there from Manchester,

:09:00. > :09:06.running for UK cancer. He has died his hair shock pink and the rain

:09:06. > :09:10.has come on and his hair is turning red. He is a massive Manchester

:09:10. > :09:18.City fan, so if anybody sees him with red hair they will be

:09:18. > :09:25.disappointed! They're coming flooding through the finish now. I

:09:25. > :09:32.hope to see David Dempster and Christine McCormick and David

:09:33. > :09:40.Lawrence running for the Persie Headley foundation. One story just

:09:40. > :09:45.quickly which tickled me, this is for the organisers. A school

:09:45. > :09:48.teacher who wants to hold the record for volunteer who has

:09:48. > :09:56.travelled the further toast help at the Great North Run. He is handing

:09:56. > :10:04.out goody bags and he has travelled from Swaziland. BRENDAN FOSTER: We

:10:04. > :10:10.have Tanni Grey-Thompson, she has come up from teaseside -- Teesside

:10:10. > :10:14.is that further. Cromb kprom -- STEVE CRAM: Alan Richardson, who

:10:14. > :10:20.would have been part of taerm Richardson, but he is not running,

:10:20. > :10:26.but his wife Julie is and his daughter Rachael. He based in

:10:26. > :10:32.Loughborough now, where many of our champions train. All running for

:10:32. > :10:38.the Rainbows charity. Rachael Cooper and her friends are running

:10:38. > :10:44.for the meningitis Trust. Sadly her brother-in-law died of meningitis

:10:44. > :10:49.last year. They have pledged that to raise money. John car Michael is

:10:49. > :10:59.running for Dream Flight, a charity that takes seriously ill children

:10:59. > :11:05.

:11:05. > :11:10.on a holiday of a lifetime to Disneyworld. I have seen a lot of

:11:10. > :11:17.North shields polytech nick vests coming through. I was speaking to

:11:17. > :11:27.one man who has been helping the club for the last 60 years. He

:11:27. > :11:34.reckons there is a lot of north Shields poll tech nick -- polytech

:11:34. > :11:38.nick students throughout the country. He says former students

:11:38. > :11:44.can get in touch through the web- site. We are at the finish and they

:11:44. > :11:50.will keep on finishing for another few hours. We saw the pictures of

:11:50. > :12:00.them streaming all the way back to the course. Let's go back to half

:12:00. > :12:00.

:12:00. > :12:07.way point and Denise Lewis. I recognise that torch. Tell us why

:12:07. > :12:15.you were nominated? I have got 700 hours of volunteering in sport.

:12:15. > :12:20.are you rubbing -- running today. We're running for kl smile for a

:12:20. > :12:24.Child that helps disadvantaged childrenment we have helped with

:12:24. > :12:30.things like buying wheelchairs and facilities for sport. How much do

:12:30. > :12:33.you aim to raise? So far we have raised over �5,000 doing photo

:12:34. > :12:37.opportunities, and raised �2 thousand going around and we have a

:12:37. > :12:46.heavy bucket from the people of Newcastle. Enjoy the rest of it.

:12:47. > :12:51.Not far to go now. Thank you. BARKER: Proudy carrying the torch,

:12:51. > :12:55.only 8,000 people were able to carry that torch. The Great North

:12:55. > :13:00.Run is a real test, but nothing compared to the challenges faced by

:13:00. > :13:03.some of the runners out on the course. There are some heart-

:13:04. > :13:09.breaking storys behind the smiles and the determination on the faces

:13:09. > :13:19.of many of the runners. None more so than Catherine Thompson, whose

:13:19. > :13:27.

:13:27. > :13:31.live has been changed forever by always aware of what a happy

:13:31. > :13:35.comfortable life I had with the children I adored and I never

:13:35. > :13:42.thought anything would change that. Our little five-year-old boy, Adam,

:13:42. > :13:48.he became unwell. I took him to the doctor and one doctor said, well we

:13:48. > :13:55.will send you to hospital. I took him to gate brain scan and... --

:13:55. > :14:03.get a brain scan and lips and then we were taken into a side room and

:14:03. > :14:11.we were told they had found a tumour in his head and suddenly

:14:11. > :14:15.life changed in an instant. And all you with think of is protecting

:14:15. > :14:22.your boy. He had a primary tumour on his brain stem and various other

:14:22. > :14:26.tumours in his head and down his spine. They Daid fantastic -- they

:14:26. > :14:32.Daid fantastic operation and he started on chemotherapy and we went

:14:32. > :14:37.through three months of that and he never once complained. We were told

:14:37. > :14:43.he was in remission. So we had a fantastic 18 months of building him

:14:43. > :14:47.up. We Daid lot of nice things. -- we did a lot of nice things with

:14:48. > :14:54.the family. Trying to get some normality back into our lives and

:14:54. > :14:59.then... 18 months later, he became ill again and I have got to say I

:14:59. > :15:06.was reluctant to accept that it was probably the cancer that was back.

:15:06. > :15:10.There was just one morning, where I knew I had to ring the hospital. So

:15:10. > :15:20.the ambulance came for us and he was comfortable. He never knew what

:15:20. > :15:22.

:15:22. > :15:32.was going on. I played him music and he just... Fell asleep and...

:15:32. > :15:36.

:15:36. > :15:42.He was peaceful and... I was, I ripped apart. We had this happy

:15:42. > :15:48.interlude in our lives where I was pregnant and we had a lot to look

:15:48. > :15:53.forward to and then all of a sudden my husband, Alan, well, he

:15:53. > :15:57.collapsed on the bed very unwell. And I was just in shock, didn't

:15:57. > :16:01.know what was going on. Thought maybe he was having a heart attack.

:16:01. > :16:07.But as it turned out, he was having a fit. He went for his brain scan

:16:07. > :16:13.and the doctor came out and he told us that Alan had a brain tumour. We

:16:13. > :16:19.went through a couple of weeks of him in hospital. He had a very

:16:19. > :16:25.major operation. He came out of that hospital and hardly improved.

:16:25. > :16:28.So he prabg practically lived in one room. I used to use a

:16:28. > :16:36.wheelchair to get him out. He wasn't there at the birth of Finley.

:16:36. > :16:42.He couldn't face it. He was like that for 16 months until he died.

:16:42. > :16:45.So, I have decided to do this for cancer research. I talked to my

:16:46. > :16:50.sister and I said, do you fancy doing the Great North Run this

:16:50. > :16:55.year? She said, yeah, sure. I said, I'd like us all to do it, all the

:16:55. > :17:00.family. The reason I'm doing the run is because of what Alan and

:17:00. > :17:06.Adam went through and if I get tired, it's nothing. It's nothing

:17:06. > :17:14.compared to what they went through and what other people go through

:17:14. > :17:18.who have this disease. Katherine, we heard your story

:17:18. > :17:22.earlier about the tragic loss of your husband and your little boy.

:17:22. > :17:27.How are you feeling at this halfway stage? Pretty good really,

:17:27. > :17:33.considering how far we have come, but it's been easier than I

:17:34. > :17:37.imagined it would be and obviously the crowds help and who else I am

:17:37. > :17:42.running with, very special people and just the thought that it's in

:17:42. > :17:45.such a good cause. And you are raising lots of money for such a

:17:46. > :17:54.worthy cause. Yes, we are. Hopefully it will go towards

:17:54. > :17:58.something in the future which would help. Fantastic. Keep going, ladies.

:17:58. > :18:03.Not too far. We can't wait for the chocolate cake at the end of the

:18:03. > :18:06.race, my mum has some. Hopefully there's some left. Thank you to

:18:06. > :18:11.everybody who's raised money for us, thank you very much. Well done,

:18:11. > :18:14.thank you. We are still a long way to go and

:18:14. > :18:19.although the rain has stopped, it's wonderful conditions for running,

:18:19. > :18:24.keeping it cool for all of those out on the course, making their way

:18:24. > :18:28.here to the finish. Joining me once again, our double gold medallist

:18:28. > :18:32.from the Olympics, Mo Farah. You are normally long gone by this,

:18:32. > :18:36.this is a great atmosphere here. Yeah, it's brilliant atmosphere and

:18:36. > :18:41.to see people finishing across the line and then doing the Mobot and

:18:41. > :18:44.the amount of people here today, it's unbelievable. That Mobot, how

:18:44. > :18:49.many times did you have to do that at the start? My hands were too

:18:49. > :18:54.busy, but yeah, when I did the parade, my arms were aching the

:18:54. > :18:58.following day. At the start you guys were such an inspiration, I am

:18:58. > :19:02.sure runners loved it. What reaction did you get as 40,000

:19:02. > :19:06.people were filing past. Smiling, giving high-five and it was

:19:06. > :19:09.brilliant. Everybody was happy and excited and kept saying, well done,

:19:09. > :19:12.guys. It was brilliant. You have been such an inspiration for

:19:12. > :19:16.everyone, whether they've been keen on sport or not. So many people

:19:16. > :19:20.have taken up sport now and want to get involved. Yeah, that's

:19:20. > :19:24.important people do get into sport because obviously it's healthy and

:19:24. > :19:28.you can get into any kind of sport. The Olympics, we had so many

:19:28. > :19:32.different events, so we left something behind and hopefully they

:19:32. > :19:37.can continue and keep doing it. must ask you about, you know Chris

:19:37. > :19:41.Thompson very well. You have run with him. He's had injury problems

:19:41. > :19:45.pwau massive personal best today. Congratulations to Chris. It hasn't

:19:45. > :19:50.been easy for him this year. He got injured early on twice. He is

:19:50. > :19:56.coming back from injury. He is talented and this is where he

:19:56. > :19:59.belongs. He can hopefully next year be strong, but I am happy for him,

:19:59. > :20:04.really happy and it's nice see him and hopefully help me out maybe in

:20:04. > :20:10.the 10K next year. He says he is happy for you to take gold as long

:20:10. > :20:14.as he can nick a medal. Team work! For you now it's a break and time

:20:14. > :20:19.to be daddy and help Tanya out? am going to help my wife out and be

:20:19. > :20:23.daddy and enjoy it. A couple of weeks off, so put my feet up and

:20:23. > :20:27.yeah, just chill out with the family, I guess. Eat sweets!

:20:27. > :20:32.Absolutely. Put on weight, you don't care what you eat. When do

:20:32. > :20:36.you get back into training? couple of weeks. I have two weeks.

:20:36. > :20:39.Not a long break. Long distance, you can't have too much time off

:20:39. > :20:44.because your body shuts offen you have injuries. Two weeks off

:20:44. > :20:48.completely and then following week just slowly jogging. Well done.

:20:48. > :20:58.Have a lovely rest and congratulations on everything. It's

:20:58. > :21:05.

:21:05. > :21:11.been a summer we will never forget. the hill along the seafront.

:21:12. > :21:17.Michelle Harwood running for her sister and good luck to Philip

:21:17. > :21:22.Stevenson running his 10th run and Katy running for Tiny Lives.

:21:22. > :21:28.Isabelle and her daughter, Karen Wilson, good luck from Alan and

:21:28. > :21:33.Muriel. Andrew and an tkraoeia, they're out there, and George

:21:33. > :21:43.running for Cash For Kids. Laura running for Brave Hearts. Thousands

:21:43. > :21:44.

:21:44. > :21:51.of them still out there, still miles to be run. One athlete who's

:21:51. > :21:57.already finished is tee Davidson and mum and dad are watching. Your

:21:57. > :22:07.daughter is safe and sound and finished in one hour 53.18. Just

:22:07. > :22:14.over the two-hour mark now. Still they come streaming through.

:22:14. > :22:21.Absolutely masses of athletes. we are just about at the peak

:22:21. > :22:25.finishing time now. Around 350 athletes per minute crossing the

:22:25. > :22:29.finish line and all of them, certainly the ones here, still

:22:29. > :22:33.looking pretty good and as we have been saying, so many wonderful

:22:33. > :22:37.stories and somewhere among the runners here today is a young

:22:37. > :22:40.mother from the north-east, she's one of thousands of people running

:22:40. > :22:42.for cancer charities but all of those runners of course have

:22:42. > :22:52.personal stories and reasons for taking on this great challenge.

:22:52. > :22:58.

:22:58. > :23:05.little Lily and then about two weeks after that I was diagnosed

:23:05. > :23:09.with a very rare type of cervical cancer that had poor prognosis.

:23:09. > :23:12.When you were diagnosed what was your reaction? Shock, I think. We

:23:12. > :23:16.got a call telling us to come to the hospital. I remember saying the

:23:16. > :23:19.only reason they'll want to see me is if I have cancer. We got there

:23:19. > :23:22.and I wanted to go in the room on my own, they said no, bring your

:23:22. > :23:26.family and before they even told us I think I broke down and all I

:23:26. > :23:32.remember saying vividly is, I've got a little girl. She needs her

:23:32. > :23:36.mum and it makes she really upset... I had to fight from then on. When I

:23:36. > :23:40.first went in I was going to have surgery and the recovery time was

:23:40. > :23:43.about a week in hospital. The day I went in I took all Lily's things

:23:43. > :23:47.and toys so she could stay with me and as we walked through the door,

:23:47. > :23:51.they said, no, she can't come with you. It's not hygienic, it's a ward.

:23:51. > :23:54.She's - it's an adult ward. She can't come with you. Tpheufs tears.

:23:54. > :23:57.I think I walked off and they had to find me because I was

:23:57. > :24:00.heartbroken, that the one thing I wanted was my little girl, she was

:24:00. > :24:03.only two weeks old. To have to go through treatment to live long

:24:03. > :24:08.enough to see my daughter, but without my daughter, just it didn't

:24:08. > :24:12.add up in my head. It was heartbreaking. The Teenager Cancer

:24:12. > :24:17.Trust stepped in and gave Lily and I our own room so when I had

:24:17. > :24:22.treatment she could be with me. The nurses would look after Lily while

:24:22. > :24:26.I had radiotherapy and chemotherapy and she was with me, but I also had

:24:26. > :24:28.support and I was - it was amazing. When did you decide it was the

:24:28. > :24:33.Great North Run because there are other ways of raising money

:24:33. > :24:36.obviously and this is a tough one for to you go through? Should have

:24:36. > :24:41.done a bake sale! Straight after treatment I wanted to get my

:24:41. > :24:47.fitness back, first of all, because it completely destroys you. I

:24:47. > :24:51.thought what a better way than to run 13 miles! I have my friend, we

:24:51. > :24:55.work together, we have known each other a few years and my mum, bless

:24:55. > :24:59.her. As any good mum would do, she's decided to run with me.

:24:59. > :25:03.That's one good mum you have to go OK I am in. She was so excited. She

:25:03. > :25:07.said she would run 13 miles every day if she could. I don't think

:25:07. > :25:12.many people know of the Teenager Cancer Trust, it's not one of the

:25:12. > :25:16.massive charities but the work is highly commendable. It's incredible.

:25:16. > :25:21.We are a forgotten group of people, teenagers and young adults for

:25:21. > :25:26.there to be a charity specifically helping us. I hope people would

:25:26. > :25:28.like to support them for years. When you are at this point with

:25:28. > :25:33.your gorgeous little girl about to run, can you believe the journey

:25:33. > :25:37.you have been on? No, looking back it all feels surreal. But hopefully

:25:37. > :25:41.Sunday evening when we have done it, it will be the proudest moment to

:25:41. > :25:43.have come through it all and it's just a bit, it's an end to a

:25:43. > :25:51.journey but a new beginning to another one that we have done this.

:25:51. > :25:57.That's it, we are strong. Let's move forward.

:25:57. > :26:02.Richard, you certainly got to be the fastest sheep in town! Tell us

:26:02. > :26:06.about this. I have had a great year this year. I run the London

:26:06. > :26:10.marathon and I was an Olympic torch-bearer and I wanted to top

:26:10. > :26:16.off a great year with the Olympics and Jubilee, with the Great North

:26:16. > :26:19.Run. It's difficult to get sponsored when you have done a full

:26:19. > :26:22.half marathon, I decided to go for a record attempt to get people

:26:22. > :26:26.behind it. I have gone for the fastest half marathon dressed as an

:26:26. > :26:31.animal. I picked a sheep. I narrowed it down to duck or lamb. I

:26:31. > :26:36.put on Facebook that I wanted my friends to help me pick my dinner.

:26:36. > :26:39.The lamb won. I ended up wearing this. You look - you certainly got

:26:39. > :26:45.our attention. You mentioned sponsorship, who are you raising

:26:45. > :26:49.funds for? Breakthrough Breast Cancer, my mother and mother-in-law

:26:49. > :26:52.have survived it, but you realise it's down to doctors and medical

:26:52. > :26:55.research. I am not a doctor, I can't help with that, but what I

:26:55. > :26:58.can do is raise money to help the research continue. And really

:26:58. > :27:01.hopefully one day someone will crack cancer and swrel a cure. If

:27:01. > :27:06.more people want to get throughout and raise money for charity, then

:27:06. > :27:11.get out there and do it. It's great fun. Excellent cause and good job.

:27:11. > :27:17.Well done. Thank you, Colin. Take care.

:27:17. > :27:23.20 years ago the Great North Run doubled as the inaugural IAAF half

:27:23. > :27:29.marathon championship. The elite, courageous and ever ever willing

:27:29. > :27:34.fundraising machines found their own ways to express themselves. Liz

:27:34. > :27:44.McColgan was about to add this title to her 10,000 metres gold.

:27:44. > :28:07.

:28:07. > :28:13.There was an appearance from the the men's champion was heading home.

:28:13. > :28:20.The celebrity factor had grown. It's my my first half marathon.

:28:21. > :28:26.Imenjoying it. -- I am enjoying it. Even one commentator gave it a go.

:28:26. > :28:36.He hasn't changed. Nor has that bridge shot, streaming with

:28:36. > :28:36.

:28:36. > :30:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 195 seconds

:30:38. > :30:43.good luck for all the runners, just over 40,000 started. 13 miles and

:30:43. > :30:46.they're pouring over the finish line. So many stories to be told

:30:47. > :30:51.here today. Everyone running for a reason and many of the good causes

:30:51. > :30:56.being supported today are based here in the north-east and one

:30:56. > :31:06.local facility that has benefited from the efforts of runners is

:31:06. > :31:22.

:31:22. > :31:27.Newcastle's tkpraeth North work here and the cause is such a

:31:27. > :31:32.good one. There is no better charity to run for. The nurses are

:31:32. > :31:42.really nice and so the doctors. They're just really friendly and

:31:42. > :31:42.

:31:42. > :31:45.make you feel like you're at home. We want them to feel comfortable,

:31:45. > :31:51.because I think they get better quicker if they're feeling like

:31:51. > :31:57.that. That is where the fund- raising comes in. What we do is

:31:57. > :32:03.amazing I think. We offer a great service to children. Anything I can

:32:03. > :32:10.do to support the hospital, I'm happy to do. It is something to be

:32:10. > :32:15.proud of and we so much appreciate everyone's involvement in what is

:32:15. > :32:21.after all their hospital for their children. The more funding we have,

:32:21. > :32:25.the more resources we can put into medicines and toys for the children.

:32:25. > :32:30.You don't feel worried when you know you have got to come back. You

:32:30. > :32:40.feel like you're going to a place where you can do stuff and... Get

:32:40. > :32:47.

:32:47. > :32:54.away from whatever you're doing at finish and joining me another of

:32:54. > :32:58.our news readers, Suzanna Reid. You hear the stories of reasons why

:32:58. > :33:03.people are running and you must have saw many of the messages?

:33:03. > :33:11.Because when you run behind people, the message is I'm running in

:33:11. > :33:15.memory of, or I'm running for and will say the name of a child or I'm

:33:15. > :33:19.running for mum and it makes you realise so many people are doing

:33:19. > :33:27.this for charity. And also just I don't know to keep someone's memory

:33:27. > :33:30.alive. That is a powerful thing. is a wonderful festival, the whole

:33:30. > :33:37.weekend here. You were worried, because we met at the London

:33:37. > :33:42.marathon, you said I haven't done any training how was us -- tough

:33:42. > :33:46.was it. Well I have done a um of three mile runs and frankly this

:33:46. > :33:51.might be half the length of the London marathon, but it was twice

:33:51. > :33:56.as hard. I found this really tough. I think you made the joke earlier

:33:56. > :34:04.on which I thought was a joke, that it is uphill all the way. I didn't

:34:04. > :34:11.realise you were giving us a factual analysis of the course. But

:34:11. > :34:15.it just went up and then level off and go up more. But I had a

:34:15. > :34:21.brilliant pacesetter, I don't think without Ray I could have got round.

:34:21. > :34:25.I'm glad that it's over and you can see from my face, it was an effort

:34:25. > :34:30.I will have to slap the make up on tomorrow morning. You will be stiff

:34:30. > :34:36.and may be hobbling into the studio. But I think I love the fact that

:34:36. > :34:42.the next day, after the London more thon I went back to work. Tomorrow

:34:42. > :34:47.isle be up at 4 o'clock. I like getting into it. Otherwise I'm

:34:47. > :34:54.lying in bed and stiffening up. If I just get active it takes your

:34:54. > :34:57.mind off the aches and pains. all had an early start today, you

:34:57. > :35:01.have an earl you one tomorrow. Thank you I'm going to look forward

:35:01. > :35:08.to seeing you at the end of my races. I feel if I haven't seen you

:35:08. > :35:18.at the end, I haven't done a proper run. Thank you for all the support.

:35:18. > :35:20.

:35:20. > :35:25.Well done. Mark and Suzanne were in Australia when he discovered he had

:35:25. > :35:30.leukaemia at the age of 27. A course of chemotherapy had him up

:35:30. > :35:34.and running again. Back in the UK the disease returned, resulting in

:35:34. > :35:38.another course of chemotherapy. They were married in 2000 and their

:35:38. > :35:41.son was born three years later, only for disease to return. After

:35:42. > :35:49.treatment at the Royal Marsden, Mark has been in remission for

:35:49. > :35:54.eight years. And he and friends are aiming to raise �10,000. Emma and

:35:54. > :35:58.David's son fell ill four year ago when he was four. He was

:35:58. > :36:06.hallucinating and in and out of consciousness. Medical staff

:36:06. > :36:11.thought it was a virus and it took 22 hours to diagnose. If they had

:36:11. > :36:18.waited another 20 minutes, he would have died. He was treated and is

:36:18. > :36:28.now fighting fit at nine. Emma and running for the meningitis Trust

:36:28. > :36:33.and for Sands, because earlier their first son was still born.

:36:33. > :36:40.This one is running in memory of his pror. Their child hoord dream

:36:40. > :36:47.was to be in the armed forces, but he was brother was diagnosed with

:36:47. > :36:57.MS and died in 2010. Competing in the run is Richard's way of

:36:57. > :36:59.

:36:59. > :37:06.remembering Kevin and the fun they had training to fulfil their dream.

:37:06. > :37:12.Somebody tells me you are father and son and you're pretty swift

:37:12. > :37:20.am. How was it? It was wet, but with the wind at our backs it was

:37:20. > :37:24.fun. Dave I had to drag you off the physio table to do this. Yes Mags

:37:24. > :37:27.is a great charity and they help people and family, not just the

:37:27. > :37:32.people suffering from cancer, but their family and friends. It is a

:37:32. > :37:38.fantastic place to go and talk to people going through a hard time.

:37:38. > :37:44.Is it a local charity? They are all over the UK and if you look up

:37:44. > :37:50.Maggie Ken ser -- Sen sers you can see where you can go for suppofrplt

:37:50. > :37:56.we have run the Great North Run and the Edinburgh charity. Are are you

:37:56. > :38:00.next? Next is the Edinburgh Bupa run in October. So we're doing and

:38:00. > :38:06.committed to doing the next Edinburgh marathon. Are we? Yes we

:38:06. > :38:16.are. That is what you get for being so fast. Fair enough. Dad commits

:38:16. > :38:20.

:38:20. > :38:26.you. Well done. The perfect outfit for this year. I should be bowing?

:38:26. > :38:30.Many have, yes. Well, Jubilee year and the Olympics is such a good

:38:30. > :38:37.spectacle and I thought we would fin wish the Queen running the

:38:37. > :38:43.Great North Run. We talk each year. I'm John Thomas from Wales and this

:38:43. > :38:48.is my 15th Great North Run and the fifth time for Macmillan Cancer

:38:48. > :38:52.Support. This is my favourite outfit I have seen you in through

:38:52. > :38:59.the years. Thank you, loyal subjects. We will see you next

:38:59. > :39:09.year? I imagine so. In another guise? Yes. Well done again. Your

:39:09. > :39:09.

:39:09. > :40:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 195 seconds

:40:49. > :40:53.stage. Yeah! Thank goodness for that! Tell us about why you're here.

:40:53. > :41:01.We're running from Antrim area hospital anaesthetics department.

:41:01. > :41:08.Come on the doctors and nurses! I bet you feel you need

:41:08. > :41:17.anaesthetized. Yes, I knew I forgot to bring something. What can we do?

:41:17. > :41:27.Keep going. Maybe next year we will bring a supply. Not far to go now.

:41:27. > :41:28.

:41:28. > :41:34.Enjoy. We will. Thank you very much. Three guys here running for the

:41:34. > :41:38.British Skin Foundation. daughter's got a problem that they

:41:38. > :41:44.are still researching. All the money we get goes to research and

:41:44. > :41:49.anything we can get is just help. You want to get the message out.

:41:49. > :41:53.How inspirational a day is it? Everyone, not just us, people in

:41:53. > :41:59.wheelchairs, people on the sides giving you drinks and biscuits. It

:41:59. > :42:06.is just the boost you need. atmosphere is unbelievable. It gets

:42:06. > :42:12.you around. Is it somebody you could do again stkph Yes I can't

:42:12. > :42:18.believe how good it was. We did the Wolverhampton one two weeks ago I

:42:18. > :42:26.said the Great North Run will blow you away. The atmosphere is amazing,

:42:26. > :42:36.the young kids and families, it is unbelievable. If they could only do

:42:36. > :42:39.

:42:39. > :42:45.Newcastle brown ale. Well done to you all. Thanks a lot. SUE BARKER:

:42:45. > :42:50.Still many making their way to south sheelgdz and the rain has

:42:50. > :42:56.stopped. -- South Shields. In a minute we will have the traditional

:42:56. > :43:01.Red Arrows display. That will be quite a moment for lady here. Emma

:43:01. > :43:06.Egging, who we spoke to at the start. Her husband, John, lost his

:43:06. > :43:11.life in an air display last year. And you have been running in his

:43:11. > :43:16.memory and for his Trust. How was it for you today? Fantastic. The

:43:16. > :43:20.crowds were amazing. Came in at 1.55 and Gareth who was running

:43:20. > :43:24.caught up with me on the way. We came through the finish line

:43:24. > :43:27.together. Amazing atmosphere and to see the Reds will be brilliant.

:43:27. > :43:32.have got people supporting you and the wiefrs running with you and

:43:32. > :43:36.Gareth is a member of the ground crew. Did you enjoy it Yes, it is

:43:36. > :43:42.my second run. I thought this flying suit is not made for running

:43:42. > :43:47.in and with this rain it got quite hfry. But it was good fun. Have you

:43:47. > :43:52.heard from Dave Davis, he was going to take part in the fly past at the

:43:52. > :43:55.start and get out at the airport, bike to the stat and run it. We're

:43:56. > :44:00.not sure where he is. I'm sure he is there somewhere and he may well

:44:00. > :44:04.come through the finish line as the Reds fly over. I'm sure he is in

:44:04. > :44:08.there somewhere. This will be a different display, there were nine

:44:08. > :44:13.to start with, now there will be seven, because Davis missing and

:44:13. > :44:18.you have to miss the one off the other end? Yes the team has been

:44:18. > :44:24.flying as a seven all summer. It is a fantastic display. It is such a

:44:24. > :44:28.tradition and it has been such a busy year, with Diamond Jubilee and

:44:28. > :44:34.the Olympics, it has been a busy time for the crew? Yes, with all

:44:34. > :44:44.the public events we have done and this is one of the biggest. Here

:44:44. > :44:51.

:44:51. > :44:55.the Reds do for the country. Obviously, it's just fantastic.

:44:55. > :44:59.They're highly skilled and it's just amazing to see them over the

:44:59. > :45:03.skies here. So, yeah, it's fantastic. John was such a proud

:45:03. > :45:07.pilot and aviation was in his blood and the trust that you have set up

:45:07. > :45:14.is actually to keep that memory alive, to get youngsters involved

:45:14. > :45:17.in an aviation job. Absolutely. It's taking his ethos for life, his

:45:17. > :45:19.positivity, his joy of flying forward and the trust isn't about

:45:19. > :45:24.flying necessarily, but it's providing access to inspirational

:45:24. > :45:27.people in aviation, hreufrpbged to -- linked to aviation. It's

:45:27. > :45:30.capitalising on that drive and talent and passion really. And kind

:45:30. > :45:33.of getting the essence of that and providing it for young people who

:45:33. > :45:36.wouldn't necessarily have access to it and through that providing them

:45:36. > :45:40.with the opportunity. That's what the trust is all about. And John,

:45:40. > :45:45.as you mentioned before, to be a part of the Red Arrows was always a

:45:45. > :45:49.major dream of his, wasn't it? Absolutely. John had flying in his

:45:49. > :45:52.blood, like you said. He wanted to be a pilot and represent the

:45:52. > :45:58.country. This was something that absolutely he loved doing. Have you

:45:58. > :46:01.got a busy end to the year? Yes, one more final tour overseas that

:46:01. > :46:07.we are doing, leaving this week and back in the UK and almost end of

:46:07. > :46:10.the season. A chance for us to relax and get back on the practice

:46:10. > :46:12.for next year. I hope you realise how special it is for runners as

:46:12. > :46:15.well as the crowds here, because this has become such a tradition

:46:15. > :46:19.here at the Great North Run. It's a great tradition. We love doing it

:46:19. > :46:23.obviously as the Red Arrows, doing a great display here and the public

:46:23. > :46:27.love it. I am sure we will be back next year. Well, continue to do the

:46:27. > :46:32.good work and change people's lives. It's been a wonderful trust to

:46:32. > :46:36.start up and it probably helped you in a way cope with everything?

:46:36. > :46:39.Absolutely. Being able to put my energy in a positive direction, I

:46:39. > :46:43.am not doing this alone, I am doing it with wonderful people. Together

:46:43. > :46:46.we are moving forward and I am very confident that this is going to be

:46:46. > :46:50.a really exciting sustainable and nationwide youth programme. Watch

:46:50. > :47:00.this space. Congratulations on everything. See you soon. Well done.

:47:00. > :47:00.

:47:00. > :50:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 195 seconds

:50:09. > :50:14.Arrows, as ever. As they disappear across the Tyne, the mouth of the

:50:14. > :50:19.River Tyne. We are on the southern side, South Shields. They disappear

:50:19. > :50:25.into the distance. So many people down here enjoyed that, as much as

:50:25. > :50:28.part of the day as anything else. As Sue was saying, they've been

:50:28. > :50:34.part of the Great North Run for years now. We have been having a

:50:34. > :50:40.look back over the history of the Great North Run. We have seen 19823

:50:40. > :50:46.and 1992 -- 1982. Let's look back now on our memories of ten years

:50:46. > :50:50.ago, 2002. Ten years ago in the Great North

:50:50. > :50:53.Run is the country's DNA. The invitation was taken up by

:50:53. > :51:03.thousands more, records number year on year, after all, there was

:51:03. > :51:11.

:51:11. > :51:14.#. First time I have done it in fancy dress and absolutely

:51:14. > :51:22.brilliant. Great day. Amazing support and the weather's fantastic.

:51:22. > :51:32.I am starving. The Geordie lads are all right here, as well. Honest to

:51:32. > :51:38.

:51:38. > :51:47.Arrows fly-past at the South Shields finish. It's an annual

:51:47. > :51:51.tradition never to be missed, pretty much like the event itself.

:51:51. > :51:54.Now this is the life. Look at this, two people working on legs. You

:51:54. > :51:59.would have thought he worked hard today! Tell us about your story,

:51:59. > :52:03.how did it go for you today? Good fun. Started a bit far back so I

:52:03. > :52:07.had to do a bit of weaving, apart from the rain, brilliant. Were you

:52:07. > :52:13.expecting this this treatment at the end? I wasn't expecting one on

:52:13. > :52:19.each leg, no! It's a bonus. It's worked well. Tell us about your

:52:19. > :52:26.charity. Running for St Gemma's Hospice, a local hospice to me.

:52:26. > :52:29.They do palliative care and care for the terminally ill. Costs

:52:29. > :52:32.around �23,000 to run and they receive no funding, anything we can

:52:32. > :52:35.do to raise money and keep them going is fantastic. Well done

:52:35. > :52:42.indeed. I am going to let you continue here and swing over, if we

:52:42. > :52:46.pop over here, Oliver here. Again two people. There's a queue, fella!

:52:46. > :52:50.What's going on? How was it? Good, thank you. How many of these have

:52:50. > :52:54.you run before? My second Great North Run. Will you be signing up

:52:54. > :53:00.for a third? I will do. It's good fun. How much money do you think

:53:00. > :53:05.you have raised? About �500. I think our firm has raised about

:53:05. > :53:15.�7,000. It's a worthwhile charity. Excellent. See you again next year.

:53:15. > :53:17.

:53:17. > :53:20.Enjoy. What a life! everything that you have seen today,

:53:20. > :53:30.the elite runners or indeed those who have had fantastic stories and

:53:30. > :53:32.

:53:32. > :53:35.you want to be lying on that massage bed next year, 15th

:53:35. > :53:42.September 2013, go online and you can see the timetable. If a half

:53:42. > :53:46.marathon is too far for you, on 26th May, 2013, the 10K event, the

:53:46. > :53:50.Great Manchester Run which has become a massive part of our

:53:50. > :53:56.athletics fixture list for the year. Again, you can go online to find

:53:56. > :54:02.out all about it. Entries are now open.

:54:02. > :54:11.We have seen the biggest ever Great North Run with 40,000 starters and

:54:11. > :54:15.now almost 25,000 finishers. We have seen great athletes,

:54:15. > :54:20.particularly Tirunesh Dibaba, still training and racing. A good

:54:20. > :54:23.performance by Jo Pavey and Chris thapl son -- Thompson and the ever

:54:23. > :54:27.present Mo Farah, but in the year and months after the Paralympics

:54:27. > :54:30.and Olympics where we have seen extraordinary athletes in the

:54:30. > :54:32.Olympics and Paralympics doing extraordinary things, today we have

:54:32. > :54:42.seen ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It's been

:54:42. > :54:53.

:54:53. > :54:59.their more spectacular moves as the two fly towards each other in a

:54:59. > :55:03.scary pass which is happening. There he goes, watch this.

:55:03. > :55:08.I am not sure what the combined closing speed is there, but it's

:55:08. > :55:11.pretty scary stuff. They are very much the best in the

:55:11. > :55:15.world. We have seen the best in the world here, as Brendan was saying,

:55:15. > :55:25.at the front. I think the best of British spirit which has been shown

:55:25. > :55:26.

:55:26. > :55:31.up in such a great light all summer long.

:55:31. > :55:35.There are still plenty of people out there, as Brendan was saying.

:55:35. > :55:38.Just under 40,000 starters in today's race. Well over 25,000 have

:55:38. > :55:42.crossed the finish so far. We will be sitting here watching them all

:55:42. > :55:46.finish over the next hour or two. We are coming towards the end of

:55:46. > :55:51.our, what I hope you will think has been a very, very enjoyable

:55:51. > :55:55.programme. It's all yours, Sue. Thank you very much, yes wonderful

:55:55. > :55:58.watching the Red Arrows display and it's a major feature of the Great

:55:58. > :56:02.North Run. We are coming to the end of our programme. We will keep the

:56:02. > :56:05.cameras rolling to bring you more interviews for our highlights

:56:05. > :56:10.programme this evening. Before we go, in case you missed it, here are

:56:10. > :56:15.the headlines from earlier today. The men's wheelchair race was won

:56:15. > :56:25.by Josh Cassidy. He won it for the third time. Broke away after three

:56:25. > :56:25.

:56:25. > :56:29.miles and won it by some distance. Tirunesh Dibaba sent a strong

:56:29. > :56:36.message to all road racers, it's her first half marathon and she was

:56:36. > :56:42.locked in battle with Edna Kiplagat. She won it and now plans a future

:56:42. > :56:47.as a marathon runner. And what a race, Wilson Kipsang left it to the

:56:47. > :56:55.last few strides to beat Micah Kogo, the London marathon champion. No

:56:55. > :57:00.wonder he loves running here in the Just to say, as I mentioned, the

:57:00. > :57:09.highlights programme, that's later tonight at 11.30pm on BBC2. Before

:57:09. > :57:13.that, Match of the Day 2. That's on BBC1.

:57:13. > :57:18.So the Red Arrows continue here over South Shields as still

:57:18. > :57:22.thousands of people make their way to the finish line. It really has

:57:22. > :57:26.been a wonderful festival of sport once again. As they make that heart

:57:26. > :57:30.shape in the skies, we have absolutely loved this event.

:57:30. > :57:35.There's been so many stories to tell you, many heart-breaking

:57:35. > :57:40.stories. So many people running for loved ones they've lost and also to