07/09/2014

:00:28. > :00:35.The Angel of the North, it has only been there 16 years but it is

:00:36. > :00:40.already one of the defining images of the north-east of England. So is

:00:41. > :00:44.the sight of thousands of people streaming across the Tyne Bridge in

:00:45. > :00:52.the Great North Run. The first one was back in 1981, the 28th of June,

:00:53. > :00:58.and it captured our imagination. The speed of the elite runners, the grit

:00:59. > :01:01.and determination of the amateurs. It has made us laugh, cry, lifted

:01:02. > :01:07.spirits and raised millions for charity. It will do all of that

:01:08. > :01:12.again this year. It will also make sporting history. One of those

:01:13. > :01:17.runners that makes their way over the Tyne Bridge to South Shields

:01:18. > :01:19.will be the millionth finisher. It is an unprecedented achievement and

:01:20. > :01:26.one that will stand forever in the record books. The Great North Run is

:01:27. > :01:53.always a day to celebrate, this year more so than ever.

:01:54. > :02:01.The Great North Run has, for many decades, given ordinary citizens

:02:02. > :02:13.from all over the world the chance to be inspired and motivated.

:02:14. > :02:25.The world 's greatest half marathon. I enjoy it and I just want to coming

:02:26. > :02:34.back -- to keep coming back each year. I remember doing it when I was

:02:35. > :02:38.19 years old. You know, the Great North Run is more than running. When

:02:39. > :02:49.you come here and complete, it is something lovely. It is really,

:02:50. > :02:52.really special. Any sporting event in the north-east is always so much

:02:53. > :03:14.bigger because of the people here and the atmosphere. This Sunday the

:03:15. > :03:23.1,000,000th run at -- runner will cross the finish line. That is an

:03:24. > :03:25.honour which puts streets ahead of other smaller cities like London,

:03:26. > :03:37.New York! And Berlin! You would never have believed we

:03:38. > :03:47.could reach this number, we never aimed to reach this number. That is

:03:48. > :03:48.quite an achievement. It is a massive achievement, it really is.

:03:49. > :04:15.We won! I am very pleased to announce the

:04:16. > :04:32.Great North Run, and welcome the event into the IAAF.

:04:33. > :04:40.It is a story of incredible energy and of an event which is a living,

:04:41. > :04:43.breathing movement which went ordinarily people decide to come

:04:44. > :04:59.together, extraordinary things can happen and do happen.

:05:00. > :05:06.It certainly was some night on the banks of the Tyne, and the date it

:05:07. > :05:09.pointed to his here, good morning, this is a beautiful morning on

:05:10. > :05:16.Tyneside, welcome to the 34th Great North Run and a very good morning to

:05:17. > :05:22.my first guests, first names only, Brendan, and Seb. The man who

:05:23. > :05:26.started it and the man who will start it this year. Thank you,

:05:27. > :05:31.Brendan, everybody loves this event and clubs taking part, you must be

:05:32. > :05:35.proud as punch. When you are involved, you are still nervous and

:05:36. > :05:39.looking around, it is a bit warm and all of this, but when you see the

:05:40. > :05:43.pictures on TV it is nice. I am looking forward to the race and

:05:44. > :05:48.seeing what happens at the front. But I am more excited that we have

:05:49. > :05:52.built this thing. Remember the film, Field of dreams, if you build it,

:05:53. > :05:58.they will come, and we have built it and they came in their millions! A

:05:59. > :06:01.million indeed. Going back to the first one in 1981 comment you must

:06:02. > :06:06.have been even more nervous about people turning up, what is this

:06:07. > :06:11.going to be like? I was running as well! Steve Cram and I ran together

:06:12. > :06:15.for about five miles commonly caught me and he started talking to me and

:06:16. > :06:21.I was retired by then! That old trick! He started talking to me and

:06:22. > :06:26.I was knackered, I told him to go away and finish and he finished ten

:06:27. > :06:29.places ahead of me. We did not know what was happening. It is more

:06:30. > :06:35.sophisticated now. In those days we did not know what we were doing.

:06:36. > :06:41.Like Seb said, we did it like the Olympics, we did it right. You

:06:42. > :06:47.competed in the same teams and you have a bit of history, put into

:06:48. > :06:51.context what Brendan has done. If I might have a few moments go back

:06:52. > :06:56.slightly before 1981 because this was the guy that brought the crowds

:06:57. > :07:00.back to British athletics. With what he did up at Gateshead, and his own

:07:01. > :07:06.track career, it was that period at the end of the 70s where suddenly we

:07:07. > :07:09.were being seen as a world class athletics nation again and it was

:07:10. > :07:13.absolutely smart and sensible about in the same year the London Marathon

:07:14. > :07:18.and the Great North Run started that journey. It's sort of captured the

:07:19. > :07:21.imagination of everybody, seeing what we were doing in elite track

:07:22. > :07:25.and field, wanting to be part of the running family. It has continued. I

:07:26. > :07:32.think he has done an amazing job here. It is so much broader than

:07:33. > :07:37.simply a race once a year, it is seeping into so much else and it is

:07:38. > :07:40.the fabric of life appear. And great recognition from the IAAF, you are

:07:41. > :07:48.vice president of the governing body, it has been recognised

:07:49. > :07:53.worldwide. -- up here. Brendan came into my office a year ago and some

:07:54. > :07:57.statistician was there, and he figured out that there must be

:07:58. > :08:01.approaching a million, and they started benchmarking it against what

:08:02. > :08:06.was going on in Boston, New York and London, and I am proud to be one of

:08:07. > :08:10.those million, because I ran here in 2002 and I remember striding up and

:08:11. > :08:15.down here at around this time of the morning, being nervous about running

:08:16. > :08:19.13 miles, I was 12 years into my retirement at that point. It is a

:08:20. > :08:22.fantastic opportunity to celebrate that, and I think we are going to do

:08:23. > :08:28.that with all of the other racers as well. We will have more from you

:08:29. > :08:31.later, the flag that was commissioned as part of the opening

:08:32. > :08:39.ceremony is going to get to the finish with Marines. Colin Jackson

:08:40. > :08:44.is with them. I am downstairs with a special team, quite a unique

:08:45. > :08:50.mission. Sam and Jonathan. Give us a bit of background and tell us what

:08:51. > :08:54.is happening today. We are here with the 1664 challenge, since January we

:08:55. > :09:00.have skied the length of Norway, sailed to southern Spain, and then

:09:01. > :09:04.cycled back up the length of Spain, France, the English channel,

:09:05. > :09:10.canoeing across the Channel, and then we ran around the UK, 1664

:09:11. > :09:15.kilometres to finish the challenge. With most of these gentlemen? We

:09:16. > :09:21.completed the whole event with 4000 other Marines. They were jumping in

:09:22. > :09:25.and out for little bits of it. Jonathan, you have been quiet, he is

:09:26. > :09:31.doing the work and you are spending the money! 1664 is when the Royal

:09:32. > :09:36.Marines was formed and we are using this anniversary to draw attention

:09:37. > :09:39.to the fact that we have been hit more in Afghanistan than any other

:09:40. > :09:45.formation. A higher number of dead and injured, and we have 155

:09:46. > :09:51.seriously injured men to support including 30 amputees, and it will

:09:52. > :09:55.cost about ?1 million to ?1.5 million to support a triple amputee,

:09:56. > :09:58.so we owe it to the injured and everybody who has suffered as a

:09:59. > :10:02.result of the conflict to support them as best we can, and these guys,

:10:03. > :10:10.through their efforts, are helping us to raise ?2.5 million per year.

:10:11. > :10:16.2.5 million! You will be carrying around this flag, that will give us

:10:17. > :10:23.great aerial shots. We will carry on like a stretcher, visible from the

:10:24. > :10:27.air, the lads will be carrying it. We will see you somewhere around the

:10:28. > :10:32.streets. All the best. They will be with that flag all the way to the

:10:33. > :10:38.finish. There is that and more besides over the next five hours. He

:10:39. > :10:42.has won more Olympic, world and European medals combined than any

:10:43. > :10:46.other British athlete, but today there will be only one thing on Mo

:10:47. > :10:51.Farah's mind, winning his first Great North Run. There is an

:10:52. > :10:56.incredible field in the women's elite race, arguably the greatest

:10:57. > :11:04.ever assembled on the road. The Olympic, world and London Marathon

:11:05. > :11:08.champions going head-to-head. Every bit as important to the magic of the

:11:09. > :11:12.Great North Run are the stories of the amateur runners, we will tell

:11:13. > :11:16.you as many as we can, and we have a box of tissues handy. We will bring

:11:17. > :11:24.you extensive highlights from Thursday night 's opening ceremony

:11:25. > :11:30.which you could quite reasonably describe as Tyne-tastic. That

:11:31. > :11:36.ceremony set the scene, and the millionth finisher today, we wonder

:11:37. > :11:40.who it will be. I am from the Midlands, doing my 13th Great North

:11:41. > :11:47.Run for leukaemia research. I have no particular reason why I run four

:11:48. > :11:58.lifeboats. What is the charity called? Unique. I would like to be

:11:59. > :12:06.the millionth runner. I am running for the prestige. That would be

:12:07. > :12:12.fantastic. I want to go down in history to be that person. It is a

:12:13. > :12:16.once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is a huge legacy for the north-east,

:12:17. > :12:22.to be the millionth finisher would be unbelievable. It would be a dream

:12:23. > :12:26.come true. Going down in history as the millionth finisher would be

:12:27. > :12:32.great. It is going to be such a sense of achievement when I crossed

:12:33. > :12:39.the finish line tomorrow. Excellent! Yes, who will it be? One thing is

:12:40. > :12:48.for sure, they are behind me, and so is Tina Daheley. She is with someone

:12:49. > :12:57.who has made a splash in the news recently with a selfie. Why are you

:12:58. > :13:04.dressed as eight bee? If you look at the small things, the big things

:13:05. > :13:10.will look at themselves. I have raised ?500 over the last couple of

:13:11. > :13:14.days, thank you to everyone who donated. You have had quite a

:13:15. > :13:20.weekend, are you planning to take any selfies? I might try to get a

:13:21. > :13:26.few, I have had a few people saying, that is that girl! I have had a few

:13:27. > :13:32.double takes. I might just do that. Tell us who you had a selfie taken

:13:33. > :13:38.with on Friday. Barack Obama photobombed us. We were on a nice

:13:39. > :13:45.family walk on Friday. How did that happen? We heard he was there and we

:13:46. > :13:49.made our way across the fields, and hopefully get a chance to wave at

:13:50. > :13:53.him, that was all we were thinking, and all of a sudden he was waving

:13:54. > :13:58.and we were walking together, and it was nice to have a chat over the

:13:59. > :14:01.garden fence. That is incredible. I hope today is exciting for you. You

:14:02. > :14:06.just need to be the millionth finisher, that would top things off

:14:07. > :14:12.nicely. A lot of good karma has happened this weekend, so maybe!

:14:13. > :14:17.That is one for the family album. These days, with photo shop, maybe

:14:18. > :14:22.no one will believe her! What about the atmosphere at the finish? I

:14:23. > :14:25.imagine it is quieter down in South Shields. Phil Jones is there with a

:14:26. > :14:29.clever bit of technology. Thousands of athletes will stream through the

:14:30. > :14:33.finish later today but only one can be the lucky 1,000,000th finisher in

:14:34. > :14:39.the history of the great event. The number currently stands at 900 City

:14:40. > :14:42.4007 and 64, in a few hours it will take over to that magic 1 million.

:14:43. > :14:53.-- 964764. There are 100 charities represented

:14:54. > :14:58.here at the charity village and I have popped into one, the motor

:14:59. > :15:03.neurone disease Association. You have been working for the charity

:15:04. > :15:09.for a long time, have you ever known a time with such unprecedented

:15:10. > :15:13.attention, with the ice bucket challenge? It has been a fantastic

:15:14. > :15:18.and historic two weeks for the MND community. Not only have we received

:15:19. > :15:23.over ?6 million in donations in two weeks alone, but the amount of

:15:24. > :15:27.awareness and exposure for a rarely known disease, but one which kills

:15:28. > :15:32.five people every day, has been tremendous. A lot of people around

:15:33. > :15:35.the globe have had fun with it but a day like this is important for the

:15:36. > :15:40.runners and their families? Absolutely, and an important part to

:15:41. > :15:44.stress is that the Great North Run is just as important as the ice

:15:45. > :15:47.bucket challenge. Who is to say that the funding that comes from this

:15:48. > :15:53.tremendous event won't be the one that funds the research project that

:15:54. > :15:59.makes the breakthrough? I wish use access with the fundraising. The

:16:00. > :16:04.charity village is really quite something. Denise is going to have

:16:05. > :16:17.an uplifting day. The something. Denise is going to have

:16:18. > :16:20.featuring Britain's greatest ever distance runner, Mo Farah, looking

:16:21. > :16:25.for his first ever Great North Run victory. He was just picked here

:16:26. > :16:31.last year by Kenenisa Bekele. He looks very relaxed. We shall see

:16:32. > :16:35.what is in store for Mo and I guess you could say for all of us life is

:16:36. > :16:36.one step at a time but for a long-distance runner it certainly

:16:37. > :16:53.is. I love running. I love what I do. It

:16:54. > :16:54.is something I genuinely enjoy, and look forward to training every day,

:16:55. > :17:14.putting a lot of miles behind me. When I run, I just go out there, go

:17:15. > :17:19.in the zone, block everything and go out there. Sometimes if I don't wake

:17:20. > :17:22.up in the morning and do my run, I feel as though something is

:17:23. > :17:30.missing, like I have not done something.

:17:31. > :17:42.What goes through my mind is my position, how much training. I love

:17:43. > :17:44.representing my country and doing well, putting on a Great Britain

:17:45. > :17:55.vest and hearing the national anthem. Not many people can do that.

:17:56. > :18:00.It is important that you do the work and you enjoy it, and mentally you

:18:01. > :18:06.try and be strong, and just keep grafting.

:18:07. > :18:20.There are loads of times I have been struggling in training, telling

:18:21. > :18:22.myself mentally I have got to do one more, one more, one more. You have

:18:23. > :18:50.got to be strong. It is an addiction, a bit. People

:18:51. > :18:55.say, look, you have achieved a lot. Olympics, the worlds, European, what

:18:56. > :18:59.more on the track? I still want more. I want to collect as many

:19:00. > :19:29.medals as I can. And make history. Yeah, beautiful film. You have been

:19:30. > :19:34.a great supporter of Mo through the years, to watch him become this all

:19:35. > :19:39.conquering athlete, and going back one year, losing to Kenenisa Bekele,

:19:40. > :19:44.it started a difficult time in his career. A difficult year, but he has

:19:45. > :19:53.had four glorious years, and then a difficult year, and in the difficult

:19:54. > :19:56.year he has won two gold medals. The London Marathon did not work out too

:19:57. > :20:01.well for him, and he has admitted that, but he is here now to try to

:20:02. > :20:06.win a half marathon. We have not had a British winner since 1985. He has

:20:07. > :20:11.his work cut out against the world champion. He is not as good this

:20:12. > :20:23.year as he has been in the past four years. Stretching to the marathon

:20:24. > :20:28.was always going to be tough. There are two things for me, here. If you

:20:29. > :20:34.look at the four yearly cycle, when we were competing, you basically had

:20:35. > :20:36.one year on and one year off, you have the Olympics, maybe the

:20:37. > :20:42.Europeans and the Commonwealth Games. There is no easy year now, so

:20:43. > :20:45.athletes do have to make a decision, over the four-year cycle, one of

:20:46. > :20:50.those years for health and safety has to be an easy one, and I think

:20:51. > :20:55.this was the right year for Mo to choose. He also wanted to find out

:20:56. > :21:01.whether the marathon was only a possibility for 2016. If he wanted

:21:02. > :21:04.to find that out, he had to do that this year. So it has been a year of

:21:05. > :21:09.innovation but we should not overlook the fact that he has still

:21:10. > :21:16.want European titles this year, which is not given to too many

:21:17. > :21:20.people, is it? -- he has won. And we forget the journey he has been on

:21:21. > :21:23.since 2010, the move to the States, there is nobody that has one more

:21:24. > :21:28.championship medals in the history of our sport. So it is an amazing

:21:29. > :21:32.story. I think next year after a good break at the end of this year,

:21:33. > :21:37.he will bounce back for Beijing. How important do you think winning is

:21:38. > :21:41.today, to Mo? He would love to win today. In 2008 when he came back

:21:42. > :21:47.from Beijing having been so disappointed in his own performance,

:21:48. > :21:51.asking where was the future for Mo? He said he was looking for a new

:21:52. > :21:55.coach. He looked at the Tyne Bridge and said, what about that? He said

:21:56. > :22:02.one day I will lead them over that bridge and crossed the finishing

:22:03. > :22:06.line first. Said said had -- said coach is to have breakfast with him

:22:07. > :22:10.and I said hello, and he said he hoped it would be today. The most

:22:11. > :22:14.significant thing he said in their is that he still loves to go

:22:15. > :22:21.running. That is important. Very quickly, what did Mo have for

:22:22. > :22:25.breakfast? I can't remember! I think he had consumed the food by the time

:22:26. > :22:30.I got there. It certainly wasn't a full English breakfast. Mo very much

:22:31. > :22:33.the favourite, but what of the other contenders? Phil Jones is with Steve

:22:34. > :22:39.Cram and Paula Radcliffe. I have moved up to the commentary

:22:40. > :22:46.box at the finish, and alongside me, Paula Radcliffe and Steve Cram,

:22:47. > :22:50.good morning. Morning. We have heard about Mo, but what about his rivals

:22:51. > :22:56.today, has he got it all his own way? More his way than he had last

:22:57. > :22:59.year, certainly. Last year was an incredible field with Bekele, and

:23:00. > :23:01.highly gay Brit Alessi, she had a great race.

:23:02. > :23:07.He will be revealed he does not have to face those legends, if you like,

:23:08. > :23:12.but he still has a tough race ahead of him. There is always the

:23:13. > :23:17.distance. He has still got those little issues around whether or not

:23:18. > :23:22.the half marathon and ultimately the marathon is something he can cope

:23:23. > :23:27.with. And just how good is Stephen Kiprotich? He is the Olympic world

:23:28. > :23:32.champion at the marathon distance. Maybe not in quite as good shape

:23:33. > :23:35.this year as previous years. He was 11th in the London Marathon, didn't

:23:36. > :23:39.run particularly fast in the Paris half marathon. So he is not in the

:23:40. > :23:43.brilliant shape that we have seen but he is getting a little bit

:23:44. > :23:48.stronger this year, and he is more at home over the half marathon

:23:49. > :23:53.distance than Mo is at the moment. Thanks for now, we will see how that

:23:54. > :23:56.unfolds later on. One of the other rivals for Mo is his British

:23:57. > :24:00.team-mate, Andy Vernon, a double medallist from the European

:24:01. > :24:03.champions it's in zero. Going into the summer I thought I could get

:24:04. > :24:08.medals, I was hoping for at least one, and the second would be a

:24:09. > :24:10.bonus. I got to the European Championships, and it almost went

:24:11. > :24:15.exactly to plan, could not have gone much better. COMMENTATOR: Andy

:24:16. > :24:25.Vernon is going to get the silver explanation mark the icy -- Andy

:24:26. > :24:31.Vernon is going to get the silver! . What a Championships he has had. Mo

:24:32. > :24:35.Farah is in the race, and we know of his successes. I wonder how you

:24:36. > :24:38.viewed that as another British distance runner, how much

:24:39. > :24:48.inspiration he gives you? He does bring a lot of belief and confidence

:24:49. > :24:52.to the rest of us. He has gone from being like the rest of us to much

:24:53. > :24:57.unbeatable. Looking at where he has come from and where he is now come

:24:58. > :25:01.he gives me the belief that I can be the same as well. Maybe not to the

:25:02. > :25:05.standard he is that, double Olympic champion is something not many

:25:06. > :25:11.people in the world have ever done. But to race regularly. Having had

:25:12. > :25:16.success this year, you want more, do you think it will be an inspiration

:25:17. > :25:20.to you? I am already looking forward to the European cross. I have got to

:25:21. > :25:27.win that gold medal. In the age groups I have for individual medals,

:25:28. > :25:31.two silvers, two bronze. I have always been the bridesmaid, never

:25:32. > :25:35.the bride, so it is my turn to be the bride, now. Wonderful to see

:25:36. > :25:41.Andy Vernon winning two medals in Zurich. Paula, is this a reward for

:25:42. > :25:44.him fall of the years of endeavour? He has finally got to where he wants

:25:45. > :25:48.to become a winning medals, being on the podium. I think it is something

:25:49. > :25:53.he has been working towards over the last couple of years. We saw him

:25:54. > :25:56.come through and win medals over the cross and European Championships.

:25:57. > :26:00.And then to get onto the track and win medals, I think it has done him

:26:01. > :26:04.a lot of good in terms of confidence and gives him a good springboard off

:26:05. > :26:08.to get really competitive next year and world champion should level. He

:26:09. > :26:14.ran really fast this year as well, that 13. 11 at the beginning of the

:26:15. > :26:18.year. He is hanging on a bit now, and is definitely running on tired

:26:19. > :26:22.legs. With that in mind, Steve, what would constitute success for him

:26:23. > :26:26.today? I was chatting to him yesterday and like Paula, he always

:26:27. > :26:32.thinks he will win, see what happens when I get out there. If he runs

:26:33. > :26:36.something in the 61, 62 minute range, that is going to be very

:26:37. > :26:40.good. He has had a great year and I think he will be enjoying it today.

:26:41. > :26:43.He said he will see how he feels after about ten K and then he will

:26:44. > :26:47.know what sort of race he will get out of today. Great day, great

:26:48. > :26:52.occasion, and he will love being part of it. That's the men's race

:26:53. > :26:58.taken care of, but there is also a certain matter of the women's elite

:26:59. > :27:01.race, and there is a stellar cast. The distance starter out for a

:27:02. > :27:05.special weekend at the Great North Run, quite possibly the best elite

:27:06. > :27:11.women's field ever assembled here. Between them these women boast six

:27:12. > :27:18.Olympic world and marathon titles. Edna Kiplagat is the reigning world

:27:19. > :27:21.champion, in April this year she won the marathon in impressive style.

:27:22. > :27:27.She hopes for a maiden victory in the Great North Run to add to her

:27:28. > :27:29.collection. Pushing her all the way will be her compatriot Mary Keitany.

:27:30. > :27:34.Twice a London Marathon champion, and the second fastest women's

:27:35. > :27:40.marathon and half marathon winner in history. Kiplagat has beaten her

:27:41. > :27:47.just once in four outings over those distances. Cheeky Gelana was crowned

:27:48. > :27:51.Olympic champion in London in 2012 but has not found that form since

:27:52. > :28:01.her accident at the 2013 London Marathon. Perhaps today is her day

:28:02. > :28:05.to shine. A field of pure class, and Paula, I just wonder, do you have a

:28:06. > :28:10.sense of any one woman being slightly better than the next? It is

:28:11. > :28:16.a really strong field, but I think Mary Keitany has come here with

:28:17. > :28:20.times in mind and a view to running very fast. She missed last year to

:28:21. > :28:24.have a child, came back and raced a fast ten K in Ottawa in May, and I

:28:25. > :28:28.think is coming in here looking at splits and really attacking the race

:28:29. > :28:34.today. She is going to have a race on her hands but I think she will be

:28:35. > :28:37.the one to watch. She gets worried when she talks about splits and

:28:38. > :28:44.fastest times, because Paula ran fastest here. She has a real desire

:28:45. > :28:49.to run fast, but Kiplagat, we would have had an even better race with

:28:50. > :28:56.another runner, but she has food poisoning. But Kiplagat and Keitany

:28:57. > :29:01.at their best are two of the best in the world at the moment. They will

:29:02. > :29:07.want to do well here. But Paul is right, Keitany is the one who may be

:29:08. > :29:10.forcing the pace -- Paula. Are we right to build this as the greatest

:29:11. > :29:19.women's field ever assembled here, one of the greatest? Yes, apart from

:29:20. > :29:26.the runner who has food poisoning, and she still has a big career ahead

:29:27. > :29:32.of her at half marathon. Tirunesh Dibaba can't turn up at events like

:29:33. > :29:35.this if she is not 100%. So it is understandable. But we will have a

:29:36. > :29:38.great race even without her. Fascinating race in prospect, and

:29:39. > :29:46.the mens rea is will be fascinating and we look forward to your

:29:47. > :29:51.commentary. -- the men's race. Thanks very much. What about Greg

:29:52. > :29:56.James, the Radio 1 DJ and television presenter. He ran this in 2009 but

:29:57. > :30:00.you are more prepared this year? I am more prepared, that was my first

:30:01. > :30:04.ever competitive run and I have no idea what to expect, I never thought

:30:05. > :30:09.I would do anything like this. I caught the bug. This time round I

:30:10. > :30:17.have really gone for the training and I have become that person! I

:30:18. > :30:22.have got a running watch and I run back at the my radio show now. You

:30:23. > :30:28.have been training with Lynsey Sharp. What was it like? Incredible.

:30:29. > :30:33.It was great because there is this amazing thing which we all know

:30:34. > :30:43.anyway, professional athletes have this incredible calm believe that

:30:44. > :30:49.they can do it, it is not arrogance. Trading with her was incredible, she

:30:50. > :30:52.is so chilled out. -- training. She said have a goal and pace yourself,

:30:53. > :30:57.do not worry about what anyone else is doing, just have fun. It is a fun

:30:58. > :31:01.thing, raising money for a good cause, there are great causes today.

:31:02. > :31:08.It is supposed to be fun. I am trying hard to get under two hours.

:31:09. > :31:14.The sun is pretty hot, how will it affect you? I have trained in all

:31:15. > :31:18.weathers, there was a horrible miserable bank holiday a couple of

:31:19. > :31:26.Mondays ago, and I thought I will go for it, pretend I am in a bad Rahm

:31:27. > :31:34.calm and I am running away from my troubles. -- romcom. I have never

:31:35. > :31:38.woken up on the morning of a race and been excited, I have always been

:31:39. > :31:51.nervous but today I'm excited to get it done. I have changed my routine.

:31:52. > :31:56.I have become a running bore. That will make the counter go over, at

:31:57. > :32:01.two hours I do not think he will be the millionth finisher. Is the

:32:02. > :32:08.rumour true that you get ?1 million for being the millionth finisher?

:32:09. > :32:13.Definitely not. I thought Seb Coe would pay for it! Definitely not, he

:32:14. > :32:24.is tight! I know you to eat. Get in touch. -- tweet. We are also on the

:32:25. > :32:29.BBC's Facebook and Instagram pages. You can talk to Greg. We will take a

:32:30. > :32:33.selfie. While we do that, let me tell you to go to the website to

:32:34. > :32:46.look at the get inspired campaign, it is well worth a look.

:32:47. > :32:55.And swimming and cycling, BBC Sport wants you to get active and stay

:32:56. > :33:00.active. Find the sport for you. With information on how, why and where to

:33:01. > :33:12.get stuck in. Don't just watch it, do it, get active, Get Inspired.

:33:13. > :33:15.Kicking, skating, rowing. I am joined by Dennis and Chris, it is

:33:16. > :33:20.fair to say that you are no stranger to the Great North Run. This is my

:33:21. > :33:28.30th time of doing the Great North Run. This is my 34th time, 62 out of

:33:29. > :33:33.68. That is incredible, you missed the first one but you had a good

:33:34. > :33:37.reason. I had a six-month-old baby so I stood at the end in South

:33:38. > :33:48.Shields with two young children to watch the finish. You have your

:33:49. > :33:55.original medal? Yes, the first one I did was in 1982 and I still have the

:33:56. > :33:58.medal. This is the first shirt from the first Great North Run. I can

:33:59. > :34:04.still fit into it but I won't run in it today. Will you run together?

:34:05. > :34:09.Dennis is a lot faster than me so I am happy to run nearer the end. I

:34:10. > :34:14.will be aiming for around three hours. Last year I did exactly two

:34:15. > :34:21.hours but I'm getting slower and slower as I get older. Best of luck

:34:22. > :34:26.to both of you. Thank you very much. I am down at the wheelchair start,

:34:27. > :34:30.the mens rea is is kicking off shortly. Shelly Woods and Jade

:34:31. > :34:36.Jones. You are the defending champion, how are you feeling? I am

:34:37. > :34:39.quite chilled out, I don't have any expectations, I enjoy the race and I

:34:40. > :34:45.am here to see what I can do and hopefully go fast. You have won this

:34:46. > :34:49.five times, it has not been the best year so far, what kind of shape are

:34:50. > :34:55.you in? It has not been the best of years for me so far, there has been

:34:56. > :34:59.a lot on this year, like the Commonwealth Games, Europeans, and I

:35:00. > :35:02.have been doing road races as well and in terms of my results it has

:35:03. > :35:06.not been going how I hoped, but the rest of the year for me, I will have

:35:07. > :35:10.a few more marathons and get a bit stronger, and hopefully that will

:35:11. > :35:16.put me in good stead for a good winter training next year. Jade, you

:35:17. > :35:20.have had a good year and you are still pretty young, how do you fancy

:35:21. > :35:24.this especially with the heat? The Great North Run is always a good

:35:25. > :35:27.offence to end on and the crowd is always amazing. For me it is just

:35:28. > :35:33.about having fun and seeing what I can do on the day. I have had a good

:35:34. > :35:37.year, it has been tough but exciting. The Commonwealth Games in

:35:38. > :35:41.particular at Hampden Park was a highlight? It was incredible, going

:35:42. > :35:45.around the stadium, they follow you around, it is incredible. You get

:35:46. > :35:51.that kind of thing with an event like this, lining the streets. You

:35:52. > :35:56.have Tanni Grey-Thompson in your camp, she has won eight times, how

:35:57. > :36:01.she giving you any tips? She has been there and done it all, she is

:36:02. > :36:10.always there to cheer me on, she will be at the eighth mile. Colin is

:36:11. > :36:14.with a double Olympic champion. I am pleased to be here with James

:36:15. > :36:19.Cracknell. James, can I describe you as a veteran, how many have you

:36:20. > :36:23.done? If you do more than one you are stupid, so I am a veteran

:36:24. > :36:31.because this is going to be my fourth. I met someone in the hotel

:36:32. > :36:35.who has done everyone. You seem as though you enjoy the whole

:36:36. > :36:39.atmosphere here. I do enjoy it. It is great because there are guys at

:36:40. > :36:45.the sharp end who want to win but people are here for different

:36:46. > :36:49.reasons, raising money for charity, getting fitter, doing it with

:36:50. > :36:52.friends, everybody has their own a man they can achieve their own

:36:53. > :36:57.victory and that is why there is a positive atmosphere for the runners

:36:58. > :37:00.and supporters. You mention that you run for charity, and there are

:37:01. > :37:13.professionals. Who you running for today? I am running for a brain

:37:14. > :37:16.injury charity, I suffered a similar injury in America a few years ago

:37:17. > :37:25.and it is great to be part of this charity. There are a group of

:37:26. > :37:28.Headway runners running today. Steve Cram gave me a good tip, he said

:37:29. > :37:34.there is a tailwind for the first seven miles, I thought, yes, but

:37:35. > :37:39.there are six left after that, for the rest of us that is quite a long

:37:40. > :37:43.way! I am sure the crowd will support you, all the best. The sun

:37:44. > :37:49.is shining and the excitement is building, are you excited? Very much

:37:50. > :37:54.so. Mark, tell us your story come at you have had a difficult year. I

:37:55. > :38:03.have been diagnosed with cancer a year ago, and I am running with my

:38:04. > :38:09.son Ben and my daughter Abby. What made you decide to take part? Abby

:38:10. > :38:12.has done it a few times, and I have been a spectator before and I

:38:13. > :38:19.thought I had to do it now. You must be proud of your dad? My dad and my

:38:20. > :38:22.brother were not runners, but I have persuaded them to do it this year

:38:23. > :38:27.and it has kept my dad positive this year as well. Best of luck. As

:38:28. > :38:32.thousands of runners gather at the start of the 34th Bupa Great North

:38:33. > :38:36.Run we will hand you over to the commentator for the wheelchair race,

:38:37. > :38:41.Andrew Cotter. COMMENTATOR: Good morning to everybody, what a

:38:42. > :38:49.glorious morning here for the start of the men's wheelchair race and the

:38:50. > :38:57.women's race starts together. Simon Lawson in the mens rea is may be

:38:58. > :39:01.able to get close to the Spaniards, and in the women's race we have

:39:02. > :39:04.already heard from the favourites, there is Jade Jones, it will be a

:39:05. > :39:11.very good race between Jade Jones and Shelly Woods. Bronze in the

:39:12. > :39:15.Commonwealth Games 1500 metres. But both of them will be at their very

:39:16. > :39:20.best. Close to 50 minutes, and that is why the wheelchair race goes off

:39:21. > :39:27.first because they cover the course little bit quicker than the rest of

:39:28. > :39:31.the athletes. Shelly Woods, the best of the season is 50.07, better than

:39:32. > :39:39.Jones but she has not had a vintage season. She is the defending

:39:40. > :39:42.champion. And those two really are head and shoulders above the rest in

:39:43. > :39:48.the women's race, it is not a huge field in the women's race, only five

:39:49. > :39:54.going. In the men's race it is a much bigger field. There is no David

:39:55. > :40:01.Weir. Josh Cassidy, the Canadian and David Weir have shared six titles

:40:02. > :40:10.over the last half-dozen years, and we are just about ready to get

:40:11. > :40:16.underway now. Away they go. At the start of the men's and women's

:40:17. > :40:20.wheelchair races. And again in the women's race it will be a tussle

:40:21. > :40:26.between Jones and words, and Nichols in there as well, looking to build

:40:27. > :40:34.her insurers. Snopek lives and works in Britain as well. McTiernan, the

:40:35. > :40:44.sporting athlete. Smith, the youngster from the Academy. This is

:40:45. > :40:48.how they line up, Simon Lawson was second behind Josh Cassidy, he was

:40:49. > :40:59.sick last year. Look out for Botello Jimenez. And Madeira, the two

:41:00. > :41:10.Spaniards. Botello Was the last year behind Cassady and Madeira. You can

:41:11. > :41:16.see the speed at the start of the course, it is downhill really until

:41:17. > :41:23.you cross the bridge. The famous bridge across the Tyne. It is

:41:24. > :41:26.overall a downhill course, that is why the records do not count

:41:27. > :41:38.officially in a global sense on the course. That is Botello in the lead

:41:39. > :41:42.at the moment. Simon Lawson is there as well. You can see the tactics of

:41:43. > :41:53.wheelchair racing as well, sitting behind and getting a pull from the

:41:54. > :41:58.athlete in front. They will get close to 45 minutes, you would

:41:59. > :42:02.expect, but on stretches like this it is easy. Beyond five kilometres,

:42:03. > :42:09.sorry for going metric on you, there is an uphill stretch, when you get

:42:10. > :42:15.to Gateshead Stadium, but it is Simon Lawson out in front at the

:42:16. > :42:25.moment in the red, and then you have Raphael Tan Warne. -- Botello.

:42:26. > :42:35.That is Simon Lawson on the right. That is now three making their way,

:42:36. > :42:45.Sam is a little bit clear of the rest. You can see the relative lack

:42:46. > :42:46.of work that you have to do on this stretch, the hard work will come

:42:47. > :43:06.later, there is no doubt about that. Well, back at the start the elite

:43:07. > :43:09.women are ready to go on this beautiful morning, perfect

:43:10. > :43:13.conditions, the sun is shining and the temperature is just picking up a

:43:14. > :43:19.little bit, there is a slight breeze behind them. What a race we have in

:43:20. > :43:24.prospect. Mary Keitany and Edna Kiplagat, two of the best runners in

:43:25. > :43:29.the world. A former half marathon record holder, unbeaten in all of

:43:30. > :43:33.her 8/2 marathon races. Coming back at the her second child, she gave

:43:34. > :43:37.birth last year, and has come back into good form. She will be up

:43:38. > :43:41.against the woman who won the London Marathon this year and is the

:43:42. > :43:48.two-time world marathon champion, Edna Kiplagat of Kenya. What a day

:43:49. > :43:55.this could be for Gemma Steel. The young British athlete who has found

:43:56. > :43:57.her way into a new career, hopefully in the marathon, she is a European

:43:58. > :44:01.cross-country silver-medallist and it is someone who we think has great

:44:02. > :44:05.ability and perhaps this could be her day to really step forward into

:44:06. > :44:11.the upper echelons of world half marathon running. And the Olympic

:44:12. > :44:15.marathon champion, Tiki Gelana, it has been a difficult time for her

:44:16. > :44:21.since that great victory in London two years ago, it is great to have

:44:22. > :44:25.her on Tyneside. One or two other familiar faces to watch out for, and

:44:26. > :44:32.no doubt we will tell you all about them over the next hour and five,

:44:33. > :44:38.six or seven minutes depending on how fast they go.

:44:39. > :44:47.On a day which has all the ingredients of a classic women's

:44:48. > :44:54.elite race, Great North Run. That almost caught us all by surprise,

:44:55. > :45:00.there, so away they go. And around about 30 women get the chance to

:45:01. > :45:06.have the road all to themselves over the next hour or so. Then the mass

:45:07. > :45:10.race will start 25 minutes behind them, and start chasing them down.

:45:11. > :45:16.Paula Radcliffe is sitting next to me. We were chatting earlier about

:45:17. > :45:23.the prospects today, certainly with Mary Keitany and Edna Kiplagat,

:45:24. > :45:28.every prospect of a classic? We will have a quick word from Paula and

:45:29. > :45:31.then we will be moving on. Every prospect of a classic, and key that

:45:32. > :45:35.Mary Keitany was asking the statistician about the splits, and

:45:36. > :45:40.the course record times, shows she is in very good shape. There was a

:45:41. > :45:44.quick word from Paula, because as we saw earlier on, it is a special day

:45:45. > :45:49.for the Marines as well, celebrating their 350th year. They have the

:45:50. > :45:55.wonderful task of carrying the flag down to the finish line. And this

:45:56. > :46:00.flag will of course reach the finish line before the millionth finish,

:46:01. > :46:06.and they will be presented with a special ceremony, once we know who

:46:07. > :46:09.the lucky person is. The Marines have played a big part in the

:46:10. > :46:14.celebrations over the last two or three days, abseiling down the

:46:15. > :46:18.Baltic yesterday. They were involved in the opening ceremony on Thursday

:46:19. > :46:22.as well. And a great welcome for them. There is the flag. Special

:46:23. > :46:33.flag created for this very special day. And a good early pace being set

:46:34. > :46:38.by the Marines, as you would expect. Sorry Paula, to bring you back in.

:46:39. > :46:43.Would you fancy running a half marathon in boots like that? I am

:46:44. > :46:47.sure they will not be in good condition by the end of this race

:46:48. > :46:51.today. Back to the women's race here, and they are settling in to

:46:52. > :46:56.bat first slightly downhill section as Andrew talked about, it then goes

:46:57. > :47:01.down through the tunnels and onto the bridge -- that first section. At

:47:02. > :47:06.the moment they look as though they are settling into a decent pace, but

:47:07. > :47:12.nobody really making any huge moves, as you would expect, at this stage

:47:13. > :47:16.in the race. So they head towards the Tyne Bridge, and if you haven't

:47:17. > :47:21.seen this after 34 years of watching, then where have you been?

:47:22. > :47:25.This is the route. Cross the Tyne Bridge, a little rise at Gateshead,

:47:26. > :47:33.past the Gateshead Stadium, past the roundabout. Fast section through

:47:34. > :47:38.eventually to John Reid Road, uphill section 29 to ten miles, drop down

:47:39. > :47:51.to the coast here at South Shields and then that long run into the

:47:52. > :47:55.finish. I had to talk almost as quickly as Paula Radcliffe used to

:47:56. > :47:58.run, through that map. These first couple of miles, Paula, you just

:47:59. > :48:05.have to settle down. Even though I note that on the occasions when you

:48:06. > :48:09.have covered this, your course record, you ran it about five

:48:10. > :48:13.minutes to the first mile, and you almost can't help yourself. You kind

:48:14. > :48:21.of drop down to the Central motorway, you want to get off the

:48:22. > :48:25.start line. You are really ready to go, you have rested down in

:48:26. > :48:29.preparation for the race, you go out to the start and you can feel the

:48:30. > :48:32.atmosphere building. So many people are making their way out there,

:48:33. > :48:36.getting excited about the race. And once the gun goes, the adrenaline

:48:37. > :48:41.and energy gets released. It is about trying to control it a little

:48:42. > :48:44.bit in the first couple of miles. And then once you go across the

:48:45. > :48:50.bridge, a little bit of a Palop towards the Gateshead Stadium -- a

:48:51. > :49:02.little bit of April at towards. -- little bit of a pull. It is easier

:49:03. > :49:07.to come back and run faster usually in the second half of the race than

:49:08. > :49:10.the first half of the race. So these girls will just be looking at each

:49:11. > :49:13.other, trying to gauge a little bit. If they are aiming to run a fast

:49:14. > :49:21.time, you still need to get moving in the first mile rather than

:49:22. > :49:24.watching each other too much. Meanwhile, out in front, that is

:49:25. > :49:31.Rafael Nadal in the red helmet there, just being shadowed by his

:49:32. > :49:39.the three Spaniards and the man from Carlisle at the back, those three

:49:40. > :49:47.leading them out. You can see the speed that they can get going here.

:49:48. > :49:50.This is why you can go distances from 100 metres all the way up to

:49:51. > :49:55.marathons, because you get the chance to have a rest with your

:49:56. > :50:01.arms. There we go, they will share the workload. Drops to the back of

:50:02. > :50:05.the three, and his team-mates Jordi Madeira comes through, the man who

:50:06. > :50:10.was fourth last year. Simon Lawson in second place. So, the two

:50:11. > :50:15.Spaniards who have gone below 45 minutes, in fact Madeira has gone

:50:16. > :50:19.below 44 minutes, his best time this season in a half marathon, so he is

:50:20. > :50:25.out in front at the moment from Simon Lawson, who was runner-up to

:50:26. > :50:32.years ago behind the Canadian Josh Kasia B. Six last year. Russell

:50:33. > :50:40.. Not sure how much warm up is required today, with sun beating

:50:41. > :50:44.down on the athletes on the Central motorway. They stretch all the way

:50:45. > :50:48.back, almost to the Cowgate roundabout. There will be some late

:50:49. > :50:52.arrivals, some will have been there since very early this morning, and

:50:53. > :50:56.some of them looking very sprightly indeed, why not? What a great day.

:50:57. > :51:00.It could be you out there, couldn't it? At the front they will not be

:51:01. > :51:05.too bothered about the millionth finish. Let's get some of the

:51:06. > :51:09.statistics out of the way that Paula was talking about. She has the

:51:10. > :51:14.course record of 65 minutes and 44 seconds, but for world record

:51:15. > :51:16.purposes, there are certain rules about road racing and unfortunately

:51:17. > :51:21.the Great North Run does not count. But there is a world best, and

:51:22. > :51:28.certainly a British best, which you hold as well. It is a point-to-point

:51:29. > :51:38.course, and the overall drop between start and finish. The first mile was

:51:39. > :51:42.not that quick. It was reasonable. They were through the first mile in

:51:43. > :51:49.five minutes 15 seconds, which is still decent. When I ran 67 minutes,

:51:50. > :51:56.I went through in five minutes 25 seconds, so they are up on that

:51:57. > :52:02.pace. It gives them a good start. Couple of qualifying criteria to

:52:03. > :52:06.make it eligible for world records, the London Marathon only just

:52:07. > :52:11.qualifies, because the start and finish points have to be within a

:52:12. > :52:14.certain area. Yes, the finish has to be within 30% of the race distance

:52:15. > :52:19.from the start, that's another reason the Great North Run does not

:52:20. > :52:22.qualify, it is what you call a point-to-point, we start in

:52:23. > :52:26.Newcastle and finish here on the coast in South Shields. Mary Keitany

:52:27. > :52:32.was the former world record-holder. That record went to Florence

:52:33. > :52:36.Kiplagat early in the year. 65 minutes 12 seconds, took a big chunk

:52:37. > :52:47.off the record. Mary, at her very best, is certainly capable of

:52:48. > :52:51.dropping down into 66s, maybe even 65s. The first of the landmarks, the

:52:52. > :52:59.most famous landmark we will be seeing later in the programme,

:53:00. > :53:04.providing the backdrop. The whole of the River was the backdrop for the

:53:05. > :53:08.great ceremony on Thursday. And there you see the big sign on the

:53:09. > :53:10.Tyne Bridge which has been up for two or three weeks reminding

:53:11. > :53:26.everybody what a special day it is today for the Great North Run. And

:53:27. > :53:28.pleased to say that the probably police escort helicopter, Brendan

:53:29. > :53:34.has joined us in the commentary box. Not a bead of sweat on your

:53:35. > :53:39.brow, you look very relaxed. Got he almost as quick as Paula did when

:53:40. > :53:44.she ran it, but I was using a helicopter, which was fine. There

:53:45. > :53:49.you can see, been describing so eloquently, that opening part. I am

:53:50. > :53:54.delighted to see Gemma Steel in amongst that group. We will see how

:53:55. > :53:59.well she can run today. Pace is fairly steady. As has been

:54:00. > :54:11.described. And the crowds are out on a bright morning, here at Tyneside.

:54:12. > :54:14.The elite wheelchair races and elite women well underway, we will keep

:54:15. > :54:21.across all the action, as we continue our build-up to Mo and the

:54:22. > :54:26.masses, the count thereto when they start, and of course the 1,000,000th

:54:27. > :54:33.finish. I am running in the Great North Run for my son, Regan. Cancer

:54:34. > :54:36.Research UK. MacMillan charity. I would love to be the millionth run,

:54:37. > :54:41.it would be great to meet Anton deck and receive whatever they are going

:54:42. > :54:45.to give me. Because it would be an absolutely fabulous achievement. I

:54:46. > :54:47.would love to be the millionth run because I was part of the opening

:54:48. > :54:52.ceremony and it was just the most fantastic experience. I would love

:54:53. > :54:56.to be the millionth finish, because I am at a local lad and I love this

:54:57. > :54:59.race and it is really brilliant. I want to be the 1,000,000th finish,

:55:00. > :55:05.because that would assume that I finish. I would love to be it, that

:55:06. > :55:10.would just be a great thing. I want to be the millionth run because I

:55:11. > :55:13.want to go down in the history books as the millionth run. I would like

:55:14. > :55:18.to be the millionth finish because it would be a great achievement,

:55:19. > :55:20.basically. I would love to be the millionth run just to be part of

:55:21. > :55:26.this historic race, it would be fantastic. I am joined by Gary and

:55:27. > :55:35.Natalie who got married yesterday. Congratulations. Thank you. Why are

:55:36. > :55:39.you here today? We absolutely love the area, the atmosphere of the day,

:55:40. > :55:43.it is brilliant, so we thought, why not, we thought we would combine the

:55:44. > :55:52.two, and we are here and loving it. At least the sunshine is shining for

:55:53. > :55:55.you, enjoying your honeymoon so far? Tired. We had a disciplined night

:55:56. > :55:59.last night and did not drink too much. You have brought some of the

:56:00. > :56:04.wedding party? Yes, father of the bride here, and the two bridesmaids,

:56:05. > :56:11.and the best man, and the vicar. Great. I am here with Craig Keaton.

:56:12. > :56:20.You look in great shape, it must be said. Not bad for 21... Plus a bit,

:56:21. > :56:23.I guess. Who are you running for? A young man who sadly passed away in

:56:24. > :56:28.2012, Alex Williams, Alex Williams coming he had meningitis

:56:29. > :56:33.unfortunately. That is who I am running for today and I can not wait

:56:34. > :56:39.to get started. Obviously for a good cause. Do I have to look forward to

:56:40. > :56:44.anything next weekend? Next Saturday you need to tune into BBC1 because

:56:45. > :56:46.it is the final of tumble, the celebrities doing gymnastics, down

:56:47. > :56:51.to the final seven and public vote now, so anything can happen. You

:56:52. > :56:54.look in good shape, I'm pretty sure these users of the crowds will give

:56:55. > :56:59.you great support and we will see you all the way through. Cheers

:57:00. > :57:04.mate. Well, preparations are well and truly underway in the Charity

:57:05. > :57:09.Village and I am just popping in to see the team at Macmillan Cancer

:57:10. > :57:14.Support. It is April, isn't it? Tell me what you differ the charity? I am

:57:15. > :57:20.and events manager. Working with running, cycling etc, some of these

:57:21. > :57:28.big events. What does a day like this really mean to the charity?

:57:29. > :57:31.Well one, we love it, and two, just the chance to have our supporters

:57:32. > :57:34.out there coming in, and we want to make them feel as welcome as

:57:35. > :57:38.possible. Tell us a little bit about what we have got here, some lovely

:57:39. > :57:45.items. Feather boa 's and things like that. The idea is that when the

:57:46. > :57:48.runners have finished their arduous task, we want to give them the

:57:49. > :57:53.biggest MacMillan cheer that we possibly can. The idea is for a red

:57:54. > :57:57.carpet, but they also want to have mementos of their day, because a lot

:57:58. > :58:01.of people are running in memory of someone, a lot of people doing it

:58:02. > :58:03.for fitness as well. But when they run for MacMillan, they are

:58:04. > :58:08.generally doing it because they want to make a difference. So the idea of

:58:09. > :58:09.my photo booth is that they can have these fun, entertaining

:58:10. > :58:15.photographs, really help them remember that day. You have

:58:16. > :58:19.wonderful nurses that we are trying to raise a lot of money for. Yes, we

:58:20. > :58:24.want to make sure nobody faces cancer alone. And these kind of

:58:25. > :58:30.events race much money and put us one step closer to ensuring that

:58:31. > :58:35.happens. -- raise. There will be lots more from Denise, Colin and

:58:36. > :58:37.Tina. Do you know what? They say the sun 's shines on the righteous,

:58:38. > :58:43.Brendan Foster must have done something right, it is a stunning

:58:44. > :58:49.day. They are getting ready behind me, the masses, and also Mo Farah.

:58:50. > :58:52.For the moment let her back to the elite women's race. COMMENTATOR:

:58:53. > :58:58.Thanks Jonathan. They are at a place which would be pretty familiar to Mr

:58:59. > :59:01.Foster, they are just about approaching Gateshead International

:59:02. > :59:05.Stadium, scene of so many great athletic days over the years, of

:59:06. > :59:09.course. Pretty good pace being set here, the second mile they went

:59:10. > :59:19.through five. 09. The leading group contains the main

:59:20. > :59:22.protagonists, and Kilel, who made a brave attempt to win the

:59:23. > :59:27.Commonwealth marathon, was beaten by Philomena Church up in Glasgow on

:59:28. > :59:33.that day. Gemma Steel looking very quick. There is Gateshead Stadium,

:59:34. > :59:38.looking resplendent. We have not had any big athletic meetings this year,

:59:39. > :59:45.but the football team are not doing too badly?

:59:46. > :59:54.Very rarely you go past Gateshead Stadium, as you know as well as

:59:55. > :00:05.anyone, and there is no wind. Just a word on Gemma Steel, she set off at

:00:06. > :00:17.a very fast pace. There is a leading group. She has at least having a go.

:00:18. > :00:25.Her personal best stands at 70.19, and here is at the 60 minute pace,

:00:26. > :00:31.she has moved ahead of Edna Kiplagat. She is not quite at the

:00:32. > :00:34.lead group. She has 2 B careful that she judges her effort correctly.

:00:35. > :00:40.Some of these will not be able to sustain this pace and she will be

:00:41. > :00:43.hoping to be running on her own for much of the race, but that would not

:00:44. > :00:47.have been a good move either, she knows that she has a big step

:00:48. > :00:51.forward to make over the half marathon distance, she has raised

:00:52. > :01:00.well over ten kilometres, and that would reflect her time. They have

:01:01. > :01:03.gone through three miles, we will wait for her split to come through.

:01:04. > :01:10.This group has already broken up, you can see Tiki Gelana is going

:01:11. > :01:14.with the first surge by Keitany. That is very interesting at this

:01:15. > :01:21.stage because the pace is already good. Keitany wants to push on a

:01:22. > :01:26.bit. There is a rise up towards this roundabout at the halfway point.

:01:27. > :01:29.That is the way that Mary Keitany often runs, she attacks Bury hard

:01:30. > :01:33.from the start, sometimes pulling it off as she has when she has run

:01:34. > :01:37.faster over the half marathon distance and indeed in the London

:01:38. > :01:43.Marathon. In other times for example in New York, she went off on

:01:44. > :01:56.world-record pace on the tough New York course and she came back inside

:01:57. > :01:59.75 minutes, way back. So, the fast early pace is being set by Mary

:02:00. > :02:07.Keitany. The Royal Marines are a bit behind, crossing Tyne Bridge. The

:02:08. > :02:12.Royal Marines are carrying this 1,000,000th finisher flag which will

:02:13. > :02:20.be presented as I said earlier in the ceremony, once we know who that

:02:21. > :02:29.person is later. What a reception they are receiving. Where is Mo off

:02:30. > :02:37.to, that is cheating. Brendan Foster has jumped in a helicopter to get

:02:38. > :02:46.here but I do not think Mo needs any help. They are moving at a quick

:02:47. > :02:53.pace. Three miles was covered in 15.25, 5.01 for the third mile. Mary

:02:54. > :02:59.Keitany has only had one race this year, Paula was talking about the

:03:00. > :03:02.way she likes to race, it is a good day for a fast time but you have to

:03:03. > :03:09.be careful even if you are Mary Keitany. She won London in 2012, and

:03:10. > :03:12.she went in to the Olympics as the favourite for the marathon, she was

:03:13. > :03:22.second fastest after great performances from Paula, and I know

:03:23. > :03:25.that she finished in fourth in London, the woman behind her Tiki

:03:26. > :03:30.Gelana was the champion that day, bit of a surprise but a great

:03:31. > :03:35.result. Now that Mary Khatami is back at a child and she is back as

:03:36. > :03:41.an elite athlete again, so this will be interesting. She has been known

:03:42. > :03:46.to go to quickly, and Gelana is not running excessively quickly at the

:03:47. > :03:51.halfway stage. We have got an interesting battle here. Gemma Steel

:03:52. > :03:55.has moved into third place, there is Gemma Steel, and this is a brave

:03:56. > :04:00.effort from Gemma because those two at the front of running very fast

:04:01. > :04:04.indeed and she is operating way inside her personal best. She has

:04:05. > :04:09.glanced at her watch, I'll waste find that interesting, nowhere near

:04:10. > :04:23.any marker, ABC can see the four mile marker in her sights. -- maybe

:04:24. > :04:28.she can. They are heading up towards Heworth roundabout. She will come to

:04:29. > :04:34.a point where these early miles will start to feel in her legs. She is a

:04:35. > :04:37.little bit more inexperienced at the half marathon distance as opposed to

:04:38. > :04:42.the 10k, and what she is trying to do is settle into her rhythm, and

:04:43. > :04:46.find that, and what she may have been doing in glancing at a watch is

:04:47. > :04:50.seeing her pace, being calculate it from the watch, rather than any

:04:51. > :04:54.particular split, trying to settle into the rhythm that she knows she

:04:55. > :04:58.has trained at and she wants Tuesday on pace from here because at the

:04:59. > :05:01.moment she is in no man's land and she will be running this race a lot

:05:02. > :05:08.of the time on her own and working on pulling back to the two ahead.

:05:09. > :05:12.She is ready to run a good race and this is a good international race

:05:13. > :05:16.for her, I good chance to mix it with athletes who win medals at

:05:17. > :05:22.Championships, and for Gemma, the time is today for her. Striking out

:05:23. > :05:26.in third place behind the Olympic champion in second place and the

:05:27. > :05:29.second fastest marathon runner ever. Mary Keitany, she is now running

:05:30. > :05:33.really aggressively, and I just watch this and I hope for her sake

:05:34. > :05:40.that she is not going to quickly. Tiki Gelana has almost given up the

:05:41. > :05:47.ghost straightaway, there is Gemma Steel, and Kilel is there to work

:05:48. > :05:51.with, she has already slowed right down, paying the price for going

:05:52. > :05:57.with Keitany. This could be a big day for Gemma Steel, we will keep an

:05:58. > :06:03.eye on how she progresses. There is Gelana, as they go past Heworth

:06:04. > :06:09.roundabout, there are always big crowds there. The masses will come

:06:10. > :06:14.through their later. There you can see, that was another fast mile,

:06:15. > :06:18.five minutes, if she averages around about this sort of time, she will

:06:19. > :06:22.not be far off the course record, I don't want Paula to be too nervous

:06:23. > :06:28.at this stage, but it could be a good day for fast running. It is

:06:29. > :06:34.great. Over the next ten years I am sure they will catch up with Paula

:06:35. > :06:37.Radcliffe, but she will be OK today. Meanwhile, back at the finish the

:06:38. > :06:41.countdown is continuing, there is not long now before the main race

:06:42. > :06:43.starts, lots of people with lots of stories, and here is a guy you may

:06:44. > :07:07.be watching out for. I love running, I love what I do, it

:07:08. > :07:13.is something that I genuinely enjoy. When I run I'd just go out there,

:07:14. > :07:16.get in the zone, and sometimes if I don't wake up in the morning and do

:07:17. > :07:24.my run I feel as though something is missing. There is loads of times

:07:25. > :07:29.when I have been struggling in training and telling myself, I have

:07:30. > :07:49.got to do this. One more, one more, one more. You have got to be strong.

:07:50. > :07:56.The two big questions are: Can Mo win his first Great North Run and

:07:57. > :08:05.who will be the millionth finisher? Back to Steve Cram and the team. It

:08:06. > :08:09.is a beautiful day. As Jonathan was saying, the son is shining on the

:08:10. > :08:18.righteous. And the rest of us as well. The last few moments as we

:08:19. > :08:22.wait for the big names to be introduced, and of course there is

:08:23. > :08:27.one very big name here, everyone is hoping he can win today, that is Mo,

:08:28. > :08:31.he has a few good athletes up against him. We have just introduced

:08:32. > :08:37.one or two of them to you and the rest of the crowd, including this

:08:38. > :08:41.young man, Thomas Ayeko, just 22, he won the Birmingham half marathon

:08:42. > :08:47.last year in 62.32, he is improving all the time, watch out for him. If

:08:48. > :08:53.you were with us earlier, you could see us looking back on the great

:08:54. > :08:57.performance of Andy Vernon, getting a silver medal behind Mo Farah and a

:08:58. > :09:02.bronze in the 5000, he is looking through a good run in the half

:09:03. > :09:07.marathon today. There is no Kenenisa Bekele, he won the race last year

:09:08. > :09:14.but his brother Tariku who himself is an Olympic medallist from 2012 is

:09:15. > :09:19.here. It is great to see him here. And the man who won that brilliant

:09:20. > :09:25.gold medal in London and then followed it up with a world title in

:09:26. > :09:30.Moscow last year, Stephen Kiprotich from Uganda. The main man of the

:09:31. > :09:34.day, he wanted to win it last year, he took part in one of the greatest

:09:35. > :09:43.races last year and he had a great time but this year he has come back

:09:44. > :09:52.to win, he says. Mo Farah. So, a very special day for a very special

:09:53. > :09:57.race. Tens of thousands setting out on their own journey, their own

:09:58. > :10:04.story. Who will win, who will be the millionth finisher? It is one in a

:10:05. > :10:10.million and further Great North Run. -- day for the Great North Run. Lord

:10:11. > :10:15.Coe sets us on our way, one of the greatest sights in world sport, a

:10:16. > :10:18.proud day for everyone and I am sure, on Tyneside and anyone who has

:10:19. > :10:28.ever had anything to do with the event. 34 years, this event has

:10:29. > :10:32.surprised us. It has been one which has played with our emotions over

:10:33. > :10:38.the years, it has made so many people famous and also has given so

:10:39. > :10:44.many people here in this part of the world, in the UK, and from the hold

:10:45. > :10:52.-- the whole of the rest of the world so much inspiration. It will

:10:53. > :10:55.take many of them a good few minutes, maybe half an hour for most

:10:56. > :10:59.of them to cross the start line, but every single one of them will know

:11:00. > :11:06.they are taking part in such a wonderful, special day, in this

:11:07. > :11:09.great event. The celebrations began on Thursday, we will be bringing you

:11:10. > :11:19.highlights of that through the rest of the morning. As Seb Coe stands on

:11:20. > :11:21.his rostrum, chatting to him the other day, part of the great

:11:22. > :11:27.celebration on Thursday night, you was saying that he still remembers

:11:28. > :11:33.how saw his hands were after the high-fives! It is his turn to do

:11:34. > :11:38.that today. Brendan, sitting next to me, I know you have already talked

:11:39. > :11:45.to Jonathan about this, this site never fails to inspire, and for all

:11:46. > :11:48.of us on Tyneside and the north-east of England, probably one of the best

:11:49. > :11:52.things, certainly the best thing you have ever come up with, I am sure,

:11:53. > :11:57.but the thing which reflects our part of the world better than

:11:58. > :12:03.anything else. It is looking great and the weather is terrific and the

:12:04. > :12:10.other night we had the tune Local Hero playing out, and I was standing

:12:11. > :12:14.with Ant and Dec, and he said he was delighted when you can see United

:12:15. > :12:19.adopted the tune and really excited when the Great North Run adopted it.

:12:20. > :12:28.Declan turned to me and said, as a Newcastle is a mortar, we will lose

:12:29. > :12:32.3-0 now! -- Newcastle supporter. Neither of the teams are playing

:12:33. > :12:36.this weekend, thank goodness. You almost feel jealous sitting here as

:12:37. > :12:43.elite athletes, including Andrew Cotter as well, this race is about

:12:44. > :12:49.the guys at the front but it is much more about the thousands and

:12:50. > :12:55.hundreds of thousands, and of course today millions taking part in the

:12:56. > :13:02.race. One that we did not mention right at the beginning, Mike Keegan,

:13:03. > :13:11.he is well-known to Mo, himself, he is not running Adley this year, he

:13:12. > :13:17.helped Mo Farah's training partner to an American record in Eugene

:13:18. > :13:21.earlier this year. He did a bit of pacemaking and he will hopefully

:13:22. > :13:24.have a good performance today. The Japanese are such great exponent of

:13:25. > :13:29.the marathon and half marathon and they have found a bright young

:13:30. > :13:33.talent. Just 23 years of age. He has set a personal best this year. We

:13:34. > :13:44.will have plenty of time to talk about those at the front. Streaming

:13:45. > :13:49.across towards the Tyne Bridge. I remember that first, the first

:13:50. > :13:53.couple of years, Brendan, the elite athletes have the way cleared for

:13:54. > :13:56.them now, but the first years there were always one or two daft lads

:13:57. > :14:02.trying to get on the telly on the Tyne Bridge first and then not enjoy

:14:03. > :14:12.the next 12 miles by Toro to get to the front -- the next 12 miles. To

:14:13. > :14:17.get to the front, you have to run pretty quickly to get to the front

:14:18. > :14:20.these days. You can see them running together, running strongly, the sun

:14:21. > :14:25.is shining overhead and hopefully it is not to heart, it is still a bit

:14:26. > :14:30.cool down here in South Shields, that is pretty much OK. Mo is ready

:14:31. > :14:34.to compete today, ready to run with these guys, he says he wants to do

:14:35. > :14:38.better than last year, he was inches behind Kenenisa Bekele last year as

:14:39. > :14:45.they went through the middle of the City. Meanwhile, right out in front

:14:46. > :14:49.nearing the finish, into the final five kilometres, two remain in the

:14:50. > :14:53.battle or the men's wheelchair race, Sam Lawson out in front, the

:14:54. > :14:56.Carlisle athlete who was out in front of you years ago and just in

:14:57. > :15:02.front of Jordi Madeira, the Spaniard, Botello the other Spaniard

:15:03. > :15:07.who we had fancied to compete is over and minute behind, he is not

:15:08. > :15:11.doing well. Shelly Woods is in sixth or seventh in the overall standings

:15:12. > :15:15.in the women's race, Jade Jones is about a minute or so behind, second

:15:16. > :15:20.in the women's race. We will bring you updates on that.

:15:21. > :15:35.Simon Lawson still out in front ahead of Jordi Madeira, with about

:15:36. > :15:45.ten minutes to go. Good old Seb. That was a narrowness. -- narrow

:15:46. > :15:50.miss. Gemma Steel, you can just see their, in between Kilel and the

:15:51. > :15:56.quickly tiring Gelana, the Olympic champion. From White Mare Pool

:15:57. > :16:03.towards the Mill lane roundabout, quite a fast stretch, the next mile

:16:04. > :16:08.or so, before you turn up the John Reid Road. That's ten kilometres

:16:09. > :16:16.that has just been passed, not ten miles. Keitany in about 31 minutes,

:16:17. > :16:25.20 seconds, that's very fast. There you can see, 31:16, the exact time

:16:26. > :16:33.for Khatami, very quick running in deed -- Keitany. That's two seconds

:16:34. > :16:37.quicker than I ran when I had the course record, so she is on very

:16:38. > :16:42.fast pace and getting quicker. I did run the second half a lot faster,

:16:43. > :16:48.but I know she can do that today. Aside from the drag from nine miles

:16:49. > :16:54.to 11 miles, she has negotiated the steep climbs on this course. She has

:16:55. > :16:57.broken clear. We have been watching what has been happening behind,

:16:58. > :17:00.things are changing behind, but there is an assumption that she

:17:01. > :17:05.knows exactly what she is doing, as we now watch the men, cross the Tyne

:17:06. > :17:15.Bridge. The crowds are out, the groups together, sunshine. And there

:17:16. > :17:20.they are. Well it's always a beautiful sight, the Tyne Bridge,

:17:21. > :17:24.looking resplendent in the sunshine, as indeed the whole of the quayside,

:17:25. > :17:29.which just yesterday was full with thousands of people watching the

:17:30. > :17:34.Great CityGames. Fantastic day that was as well, and we might see

:17:35. > :17:44.highlights of that action later as well. I reckon in the very first

:17:45. > :17:48.year, it was the picture of everybody crossing the Tyne Bridge,

:17:49. > :17:52.I'm not sure at that point they have closed the Tyne Bridge for anything,

:17:53. > :17:57.it was that sort of iconic picture which really sealed what has now

:17:58. > :18:01.come very familiar sight, that's the thing that made everybody think, I

:18:02. > :18:09.want to have a go. It became an icon from the very beginning. The editor

:18:10. > :18:16.of the Newcastle Journal brought me the front cover straight from the

:18:17. > :18:20.presses. And that was the picture, the Tyne Bridge, with the runners

:18:21. > :18:26.coming across. And that picture has travelled the 34 years and been the

:18:27. > :18:31.iconic shot. Later on the Red Arrows will be visiting. There is the first

:18:32. > :18:37.Northeastern runner, Ian Hudspith. The ripe old age of 40 something. He

:18:38. > :18:42.is doing great. The kind of athlete who makes this board great. He

:18:43. > :18:48.trains all the time. There are a few others joining in. That's very close

:18:49. > :18:54.to my old athletic club, just dropping down towards the York

:18:55. > :19:02.Avenue roundabout. This is a quick section of the course. And even the

:19:03. > :19:06.horses could not keep up. She really is shifting. Now this is

:19:07. > :19:11.interesting, Gemma Steel is also operating at a very good pace, very

:19:12. > :19:16.fast pace for Gemma. She will be delighted with the way things are

:19:17. > :19:20.going so far. She is pretty much now at the halfway point in this race.

:19:21. > :19:25.She has certainly set out her store and is in very good company. She is,

:19:26. > :19:29.she is gradually working her way back towards Killarney, who decided

:19:30. > :19:39.that she was not going to go at the very fast pace being set by Mary

:19:40. > :19:43.Keitany -- towards Gelana. We might see those three bunching back

:19:44. > :19:46.together. Gemma looking round to see where Kilel is behind her. Maybe

:19:47. > :19:51.they can work together over this section of the course. The only

:19:52. > :19:55.thing you can say for certain is that will not be the finishing order

:19:56. > :20:00.of second, third and fourth. This race is being run so quickly that

:20:01. > :20:04.something dramatic will happen. Here is Mary Keitany, can she keep this

:20:05. > :20:10.pace going? Well, it would be a big surprise if she did. Well it is Mary

:20:11. > :20:17.Keitany, who makes her way towards South Shields. We are sitting at the

:20:18. > :20:21.finish line and we can look up the road here, and I can already see the

:20:22. > :20:26.lights of the lead of the wheelchair race. A long straight ahead of

:20:27. > :20:30.Keitany at the moment, but this is going to be a very good finish. Well

:20:31. > :20:36.into the final mile now of this race. Simon Lawson just ahead of the

:20:37. > :20:39.Spaniard Jordi Madeira. Madero was fourth last year. He has been

:20:40. > :20:45.runner-up here a couple of years ago. He is out in front. A big

:20:46. > :20:52.tactical battle. Decent time, just beyond 40 minutes now. Certainly

:20:53. > :21:00.going to be well below 45. Tel oh, the other Spaniard, was dropped at

:21:01. > :21:11.around the ten minute mark -- ten mile mark. -- Botello, the other

:21:12. > :21:14.Spaniard. Lawson in front at the moment, Madera possibly waiting for

:21:15. > :21:21.his moment. The crowds starting to grow. They are standing ten, 12, 15

:21:22. > :21:26.DP on either side of the road. As they go through 20 kilometres, with

:21:27. > :21:33.Simon Lawson just a second ahead of Jordi Madeira. Lawson now pumping

:21:34. > :21:38.those arms. Ever closer to the finish. And we start to see them on

:21:39. > :21:43.the long-distance camera, and the crowds start to see them. First

:21:44. > :21:51.finishers on this famous day. Is this going to be Lawson's first

:21:52. > :21:54.victory in the Great North Run? Second in long-distance wheelchair

:21:55. > :22:00.events, behind David Weir. He is not here this year. Josh Cassidy, the

:22:01. > :22:04.Canadian who has won three of the last six, David Weir has won the

:22:05. > :22:09.other three. Neither are here today, so a chance for somebody else. You

:22:10. > :22:15.see the sign of 400 metres, so 500 or so remaining four Simon Lawson.

:22:16. > :22:23.Madera just moving out, and decides to go wide, just tucks in behind the

:22:24. > :22:27.bike, there. That's crafty. But he has made his move now, and I don't

:22:28. > :22:33.think Simon Lawson has a response to the Spaniard. In danger of

:22:34. > :22:40.overtaking the motorcycle, there. It is going to be his victory, he has

:22:41. > :22:44.made his move, and he just gets across to the right side, after

:22:45. > :22:50.using the other side of the road. As a look around to Simon Lawson, who

:22:51. > :22:55.will be runner-up again. It will be victory for Jordi Madeira of Spain

:22:56. > :23:01.and the time is a quick one, it will be very close to 43 minutes. Again a

:23:02. > :23:09.look round to see that the victory is his. And towards the line, Lawson

:23:10. > :23:12.is a distant second now, but Jordi Madeira, the Spaniard, things

:23:13. > :23:16.victory in the men's wheelchair race, just outside 43 minutes.

:23:17. > :23:21.Second against the Simon Lawson, what a grand effort for him. These

:23:22. > :23:28.two a long way clear of the rest. What a race they have had. Smiles

:23:29. > :23:30.and handshakes between them. Jordi Madeira first, and Simon Lawson

:23:31. > :23:37.second, in the men's wheelchair race. Well, as predicted, we now

:23:38. > :23:52.have a little group of three contesting second place here. Gemma

:23:53. > :23:58.now settling in behind Tiki Gelana and Kilel. Hopefully they can find a

:23:59. > :24:01.rhythm and work together. Gemma has been racing very well on the road

:24:02. > :24:08.this year. She has not yet run on the track... I don't know if you can

:24:09. > :24:13.hear the noise, the Red Arrows are practising as they leave

:24:14. > :24:26.Southfields. Gemma has been racing well over ten, does. -- over ten

:24:27. > :24:32.kilometres. In very good shape, and as we said, her personal best over

:24:33. > :24:36.the half marathon. She wants to get some confidence from this race as

:24:37. > :24:40.well to make that move forward up to racing marathon distance. This is

:24:41. > :24:45.great for her, to be next to the Olympic champion, and you know this

:24:46. > :24:48.race is not over. We are looking at the lonely figure of Mary Keitany,

:24:49. > :24:52.who is eating up the roads and running excessively well here,

:24:53. > :24:55.running really quickly. She has been getting ready for this race, this

:24:56. > :25:00.may be the return of Mary Keitany, and if it is, you will see some

:25:01. > :25:03.fireworks from her later in the year in the marathons and next year as

:25:04. > :25:11.well. But let's not write this one off. 41 minutes of running behind

:25:12. > :25:14.her, 25 minutes plus still to go. The chasing group are running as a

:25:15. > :25:18.group. The Olympic champion running next to the great British athlete,

:25:19. > :25:24.Gemma Steel, who is going to run the race of her life today. Well, we

:25:25. > :25:28.have already had about 14,000 people cross the start line, and they will

:25:29. > :25:34.continue doing that at a pretty rapid rate. Over the next 15 to 20

:25:35. > :25:40.minutes or so. And one of those people down there will be the

:25:41. > :25:43.millionth finisher today. Maybe a little bit further back. Great

:25:44. > :25:47.vantage point over the Central motorway, plenty of people watching.

:25:48. > :25:58.So many people have done this many times. But lots are here for the

:25:59. > :26:06.very first time as well. So you can see there, almost 60 minutes into

:26:07. > :26:13.the race. -- 16 minutes. At the front things have been going quick

:26:14. > :26:19.in the mens rea. -- in the men's race. This is a subsidy minute pace

:26:20. > :26:24.and that would be a personal best for Mo Farah and four others in this

:26:25. > :26:29.group as well. So, a good fast early pace being set here. Keegan, who has

:26:30. > :26:33.been used to doing that, just wondering whether Mo has asked

:26:34. > :26:38.Keegan to help them go a bit quicker today. He did say he just wants to

:26:39. > :26:43.win today, but Mo Farah never likes to do things too easily, and he is

:26:44. > :26:46.already breaking up this group. Yes, Keegan is a training partner of Mo

:26:47. > :26:50.Farah in the past, they know each other well. As the pace lifted, the

:26:51. > :26:56.Olympic bronze-medallist, the brother of last year 's winner,

:26:57. > :26:59.suddenly drifted and went off the back, and 16 minutes behind them,

:27:00. > :27:11.they are coming past Gateshead Stadium. Mo has run many of his good

:27:12. > :27:15.races at Gateshead Stadium. He has run two races this year, two gold

:27:16. > :27:20.medals at the European Championships, 5000, 10,000 metres.

:27:21. > :27:24.He is looking comfortable on the shoulder of Keegan, the leader, next

:27:25. > :27:28.to Ayeko of Uganda, and the other Ugandan athlete, the Olympic

:27:29. > :27:36.champion and the world champion, Stephen Kiprotich. He won that event

:27:37. > :27:40.in London, he was the first Ugandan athlete since 1972 to win an Olympic

:27:41. > :27:51.gold medal. And that was much celebrated back in his homeland of

:27:52. > :27:58.Uganda. This really is a good, fast early pace as they approached the

:27:59. > :28:02.roundabout, the first five K was just outside 40 minutes. That

:28:03. > :28:15.wouldn't be bad for many people on the track to be honest. -- 14

:28:16. > :28:26.minutes. Still early stages. There is the four mile mark. That is a

:28:27. > :28:33.little bit slower, perhaps, through that mile section. One or two up and

:28:34. > :28:40.down... I always call the Great North Run a bit of an underwriting

:28:41. > :28:48.course. Not many big hills, but it does go up and down a little bit --

:28:49. > :28:57.I call it a bit of an undulates -- undulating course. Kilel has dropped

:28:58. > :29:02.off, and now it is just Gelana and Gemma Steel contesting second place.

:29:03. > :29:06.What a great run from Gemma Steel, she is really mixing it with some

:29:07. > :29:15.big names here. She is looking really strong. Gemma takes her own

:29:16. > :29:19.personalised drink there, which I am taking as a good sign, that means

:29:20. > :29:21.she is thinking ahead to maybe making the move to the marathon

:29:22. > :29:26.where I believe she could run very fast, she is practising taking on

:29:27. > :29:29.board her own fluids jarring fast pace run. Not necessarily but good

:29:30. > :29:38.to practice at this case. I spoke to Gemma when she won the

:29:39. > :29:44.great North Tank eight, and everyone was telling her about the marathon

:29:45. > :29:47.but she does not fancy it. -- 10k. You should not do it unless you

:29:48. > :29:54.really want to because it is a long way. One of the very few women to

:29:55. > :29:59.have run under 2.24 the marathon, the second fastest marathon runner

:30:00. > :30:03.ever. -- 2.20 for the marathon. She is still pressing on and she looks

:30:04. > :30:07.smooth and comfortable and she has the credentials, she has won the

:30:08. > :30:11.London Marathon on a number of occasions, she has been absent

:30:12. > :30:15.through having a child but she is now back in action, compact,

:30:16. > :30:21.controlled, and she looks as though she has got everything there for

:30:22. > :30:25.her. Coming towards the finish, the woman who will won the women's

:30:26. > :30:28.wheelchair race, and it is Shelly Woods, she has dominated the race.

:30:29. > :30:32.We thought it might be close with Jade Jones but she left her earlier

:30:33. > :30:39.in the race at the five kilometre mark. She has taken control and she

:30:40. > :30:43.will finished just outside 50 minutes, victory number six in the

:30:44. > :30:49.Great North Run for Shelly Woods. A half-dozen victories. This is the

:30:50. > :30:54.end of a really dominant performance from Shelly Woods, just outside her

:30:55. > :30:58.best time. Again, very impressive performance. Win number six in the

:30:59. > :31:01.Great North Run. Celebrating the end of a season which has not been

:31:02. > :31:07.fantastic for Shelly Woods but that a fantastic performance. Back in the

:31:08. > :31:12.men's race, there have been one or two little developments here,

:31:13. > :31:23.Kiprotich has dropped off, this place is being set well by Kigan. Mo

:31:24. > :31:27.looks as though he is relaxed again, he looks behind and he sees that

:31:28. > :31:37.Kiprotich is disappearing into the distance. They have passed the

:31:38. > :31:41.Heworth roundabout now, we will be getting more of an update on the

:31:42. > :31:44.splits in this solid first four miles, around an average of four and

:31:45. > :31:50.a half minutes, well under the 60 minute pace. Like Mary Keitany,

:31:51. > :31:59.maybe they are going a bit too early here. It will be interesting to see

:32:00. > :32:05.whether Mike Kigen is breaking up the field and then Mo can relax,

:32:06. > :32:13.that may the tactic. Mike Kigen is capable of running fast himself.

:32:14. > :32:16.That maybe the tactic but if it is, Mo Farah did not know anything about

:32:17. > :32:23.it when I spoke to him this morning. Now the race is getting interesting.

:32:24. > :32:30.Ayeko of Uganda is in third place, hanging onto the pace. The Olympic

:32:31. > :32:34.5000 and 10,000 metres champion. Recently winning the five and 10,000

:32:35. > :32:38.metres at the European Championships. Starting to look

:32:39. > :32:41.comfortable again. Fidgeting and looking around, I am not quite sure

:32:42. > :32:49.what happened but suddenly you sense that with 22 minutes on the clock Mo

:32:50. > :32:54.Farah is relaxing into the race. Well, the good news is that Mo

:32:55. > :32:57.Farah, at the leader of the men's race and running well in the women's

:32:58. > :33:01.race and about to pass through 15 kilometres is Gemma Steel, she has

:33:02. > :33:07.moved into a clear second place ahead of the Olympic marathon

:33:08. > :33:13.champion, Tiki Gelana of Ethiopian. Mary Keitany is still running very

:33:14. > :33:16.well, a long way ahead. But Gemma Steel, she is making very good

:33:17. > :33:21.progress here, obviously she had to slow down after that very fast early

:33:22. > :33:26.pace here, but she is staying strong, and Mary Keitany's case has

:33:27. > :33:31.dropped a bit and I detected a smile on the face of Paula Radcliffe as

:33:32. > :33:37.she went through the previous mile, she has just dropped off a bit but

:33:38. > :33:45.she is still going strong. She is now back ahead again. If it was my

:33:46. > :33:49.marathon record I think I will be more nervous. I do think she is in

:33:50. > :33:56.shape to get this, she has been inspired and fired up by seeing

:33:57. > :34:00.Kiplagat running 56.12 in Barcelona. She wants to get under that time

:34:01. > :34:07.today and she is on course to do that, three seconds ahead of 65.40.

:34:08. > :34:11.Through the nine mile mark. She is still looking composed and strong

:34:12. > :34:14.and she still has this and then one more climb up to the 11 mile mark

:34:15. > :34:17.but pretty much now she is on a clear run, she can see the road

:34:18. > :34:26.stretching ahead of her until she makes the drop onto the seafront at

:34:27. > :34:30.South Shields. Well, she is approaching the ten mile point and

:34:31. > :34:35.she will be very close to the 15 minute mark, and she will be able to

:34:36. > :34:43.see that ahead of her. She will be into the last 23 miles or so. A

:34:44. > :34:48.little bit of, rise through here. She has the road to herself, one and

:34:49. > :34:53.a half minutes ahead. While she is doing that come it you can see that

:34:54. > :35:00.was the ten mile mark. Meanwhile, the resplendent red arrows. Adding

:35:01. > :35:07.their superb touch to a brilliant day.

:35:08. > :35:19.They are as much a part of the Great North Run as the 1 million people

:35:20. > :35:23.who have crossed the finish line. We will not know exactly who that

:35:24. > :35:30.person is but I'm sure when they get down here the celebrations will be

:35:31. > :35:34.huge, and the red arrows as ever will be entertaining us here in

:35:35. > :35:38.South Shields on this fantastic day. They have got the sky to themselves.

:35:39. > :35:45.A big blue sky for them to parade in. Mary Keitany, there, whilst we

:35:46. > :35:50.were heading off to the red arrows she is just finding this a bit

:35:51. > :35:55.harder now, Paula is sitting here and encouraging her, very kind of

:35:56. > :35:58.her to do that, going towards her course record, but I think you are

:35:59. > :36:04.right, these next few miles will be tough, she is on her own and she has

:36:05. > :36:07.2 concentrate. The comeback trail she is on, the last two or three

:36:08. > :36:12.miles on a half marathon is where you can find you out. This is a test

:36:13. > :36:18.and she has seriously tested herself, she has ran fast, clearly

:36:19. > :36:22.she is running hard, and she looks controlled and comfortable, but she

:36:23. > :36:27.is certainly working for its now, 51 minutes, she has another 40 minutes

:36:28. > :36:31.of running ahead of her, it may be a long 40 minutes but the great news

:36:32. > :36:35.is that in second place behind Mary Keitany, a fair way behind, running

:36:36. > :36:40.the fastest she has ever run, she has just gone through ten miles as

:36:41. > :36:45.the runners come over the Tyne Bridge, streaming over the Tyne

:36:46. > :36:49.Bridge, this is probably peak time. As they are doing this the athletes

:36:50. > :36:52.are ten miles ahead of them and they will be strung out right from the

:36:53. > :36:57.finish, right back to the start in a few minutes. There is the Great

:36:58. > :37:04.North Run million, and these are the athletes amongst whom one man or

:37:05. > :37:11.woman will be picked out. There, the three athletes, Mike Kigen, the

:37:12. > :37:14.training partner of Mo Farah and a good running his own right. There

:37:15. > :37:20.has a resurgence in Ugandan distance running. Last year the man down the

:37:21. > :37:26.road behind these, the world and Olympic marathon champion will stop

:37:27. > :37:30.Mo Farah is looking comfortable and relaxed now -- champion. As they go

:37:31. > :37:34.through six miles. It is interesting to see them coming up to the 10,000

:37:35. > :37:44.metre point and they will be just over 28 minutes. Mo has gestured to

:37:45. > :37:47.Mike Kigen to push on, he wants to get rid of Ayeko. He beat Chris

:37:48. > :37:51.Thomson in the Birmingham half marathon last year and I'm delighted

:37:52. > :37:58.to say that Chris is working with our colleagues on five live today. I

:37:59. > :38:02.am sure he will know more about Thomas than we do, but for the first

:38:03. > :38:07.time he seems to be struggling with the pace, it is a good pace, keep

:38:08. > :38:13.pushing on in this vast part of the course, take advantage of the flat

:38:14. > :38:18.section from White Mare Pool. Putting pressure on, moving away

:38:19. > :38:22.from the Ugandan. Come on, Mike, let's go quicker, the gap is

:38:23. > :38:27.opening, I do not want to be caught out as they go through 10k. 28

:38:28. > :38:35.minutes and 18 seconds, this is quick. Ayeko is a second behind them

:38:36. > :38:39.but Mike Kigen is pushing and Mo is delighted for the company. They are

:38:40. > :38:44.not at the halfway point yet, there is an awful lot of running to be

:38:45. > :38:47.done. We saw Mo when he first came out at the disappointment of the

:38:48. > :38:51.cover of games, he was not able to run and he was ill, he was having

:38:52. > :38:55.training sessions and they weren't going well and eventually he decided

:38:56. > :39:00.he could not run. He came back and run in the 10,000 metres and that

:39:01. > :39:06.was the hardest championship race he has ever won out of the many, no one

:39:07. > :39:12.has ever won more medals as a British athlete individually than Mo

:39:13. > :39:16.Farah. In the 5000 metres he looked comfortable and in the two miles in

:39:17. > :39:20.Birmingham last week. Just glancing over his shoulder, relaxing into his

:39:21. > :39:27.running. When Mel is relaxed and running well, there really is nobody

:39:28. > :39:34.better. -- Mo is. Mike Kigen is saying, get alongside me, we have to

:39:35. > :39:39.go quicker now. You know Mike Kigen ran 60 .34 in a race in which

:39:40. > :39:45.Kiprotich was behind him, 10th or 11th in the race. But these two know

:39:46. > :39:51.each other well, Mike Kigen is behind him. He will want to put

:39:52. > :39:59.distance between themselves and Ayeko and then maybe relax. And

:40:00. > :40:05.still they come. It is such a colourful site, I went to the

:40:06. > :40:11.exhibition in South Shields, the great North greats. Lots of lovely

:40:12. > :40:16.pictures of the early races. It was so drab in those days, a bit of

:40:17. > :40:24.blue, none of this technical stuff that we see these days. --

:40:25. > :40:30.Technicolor. They did not have fluorescent colours back then. Or

:40:31. > :40:35.Lycra, thank goodness! And of course, one of the big changes, so

:40:36. > :40:38.many T-shirts and vests are people running for various causes and

:40:39. > :40:42.charities. That has been a big feature of all of the big running

:40:43. > :40:45.events around the world, the Great North Run certainly raises millions

:40:46. > :40:52.and millions for charity over the years. Mary Keitany, then, 5.03,

:40:53. > :40:57.another good mile from her, still forging ahead, that is a tough mile,

:40:58. > :41:05.so if anything she has picked it up, the course record is 65.40, held by

:41:06. > :41:09.Paula Radcliffe. You must be getting nervous, Paula, this is a great run

:41:10. > :41:13.from Keitany. This is a great run whatever happens but she is still

:41:14. > :41:18.looking strong. She is looking very strong, that is uphill, there, and

:41:19. > :41:22.usually one way you slow down but she has maintained her pace within

:41:23. > :41:26.five seconds of the previous mile. She has obviously still got a lot of

:41:27. > :41:29.strength in her legs and she is pushing hard. She will know the

:41:30. > :41:32.cause a bit and she will have studied at least the course profile

:41:33. > :41:37.and she will know that when she turns onto the seafront it is a

:41:38. > :41:42.fairly flat mile but it can be into the wind. Right here it is a pretty

:41:43. > :41:46.calm day, whatever wind there is will be at her back. As we see Gemma

:41:47. > :41:52.Steel pushing on. She is also having a good run, coming through the 11

:41:53. > :42:00.mile mark, around 67, 68 minutes now. Gemma Steel has distinguished

:42:01. > :42:03.herself on the cross-country and shorter road races, this half

:42:04. > :42:07.marathon, she looks as though she is well on the way to a massive

:42:08. > :42:13.personal best. Then she is feeling the pressure to run the marathon. I

:42:14. > :42:16.think Paula should spend time with her because you know that you cannot

:42:17. > :42:20.run a marathon she really want to and she says she really does not

:42:21. > :42:26.want to, she enjoys running and wants to run these but maybe this is

:42:27. > :42:30.an athlete that could represent Britain well but the next couple of

:42:31. > :42:34.years will be really important for her, and the gardens that she needs

:42:35. > :42:37.through those years I am sure could come from you. What she is saying at

:42:38. > :42:45.the moment is that she is scared, you can see Seb Coe building up the

:42:46. > :42:49.calluses on his palm! Every person will not quite manage to do that but

:42:50. > :42:54.he will do as many as possible to inspire them on the way to some

:42:55. > :43:00.great performances out there today. Has he ever run in this? He came up

:43:01. > :43:03.in 2002 and he brought his young children and he literally left them

:43:04. > :43:08.at the start and ran to the finish and then he came into the tent and

:43:09. > :43:17.asked where they were! He found them eventually. To be fair. I can't

:43:18. > :43:22.talk! In 1992 after the first year, that was a World Championship year,

:43:23. > :43:30.and... They are running down an area which is familiar to you and I. They

:43:31. > :43:37.have just gone past York Avenue. We all used to run many miles along the

:43:38. > :43:39.streets around South Tyneside and it was a lonely thing to do, to be

:43:40. > :43:44.honest, there was not many people out there. Lonelier than it is

:43:45. > :43:49.today, they are coming down a slight incline, lots of people have

:43:50. > :43:53.gathered around particularly a few yards ahead, but Mike Kigen is doing

:43:54. > :43:59.a good job, doing a fine job, trying to win the race, maybe, keeping Mo

:44:00. > :44:04.going, but Mo looks really strong and comfortable. He is relaxing. For

:44:05. > :44:09.the moment there is two of them in the race and Mo will enjoy some real

:44:10. > :44:14.support. What a privilege to see the greatest distance runner that

:44:15. > :44:18.Britain has ever produced. The most championship medals we have ever had

:44:19. > :44:22.from a single athlete, by his terms, he has had a difficult year, but a

:44:23. > :44:26.difficult year with two gold medals makes it a hell of a year by anyone

:44:27. > :44:31.else's standards, and he wants to win this one. In 2008 he said he

:44:32. > :44:34.will lead them across the bridge and across the finish line. Last year he

:44:35. > :44:38.led them across the bridge but he did not quite make it. He was not

:44:39. > :44:44.leading across the bridge today, maybe that is a good sign? ! Talking

:44:45. > :44:51.about familiar landmarks, there is a familiar crowd down there. Well, I

:44:52. > :44:56.know that the message is something about me and you, so thanks for the

:44:57. > :44:59.thoughts, I know they are big supporters of the event and so many

:45:00. > :45:05.people of course over the years have planned their spectating places,

:45:06. > :45:09.sometimes around the pubs on the route as well!

:45:10. > :45:17.They get out there early, particularly at the finish, people

:45:18. > :45:20.arriving early to book their place. Still going strong, Keegan.

:45:21. > :45:22.Occasionally looks a little bit under pressure. I thought he was

:45:23. > :45:33.looking really comfortable, really relaxing. Well into the second half

:45:34. > :45:39.of the race now. Well, we are following the progress of the Royal

:45:40. > :45:42.Marines. And the very special job they have today of guarding and

:45:43. > :45:48.carrying the flag all the way to the finish line, the 1,000,000th run a

:45:49. > :45:52.flag. I reckon they are passed halfway, not far from the John Reid

:45:53. > :45:58.Road. Not far from the finish actually now is Mary Keitany. She

:45:59. > :46:02.has been making fabulous progress. The course record of 65 minutes and

:46:03. > :46:06.40 seconds... You can see another quick split, five minutes five

:46:07. > :46:11.seconds for the previous mile and she is really motoring. We are

:46:12. > :46:16.looking at something special here. I know Paula red Cliff always likes to

:46:17. > :46:19.see people run well, but I am sorry Paula, I think your record is going

:46:20. > :46:25.to disappear, because this is a great performance from Keitany. She

:46:26. > :46:29.is now on to this final mile of the course and we will probably be able

:46:30. > :46:33.to pick her out coming down towards us at the finish line soon. She has

:46:34. > :46:36.attacked this race from the beginning and maintained that pays

:46:37. > :46:43.very well, showing very few signs of fatigue, even on those crimes. I

:46:44. > :46:47.think she senses, as we see the drop to the seafront, Gemma Steel coming

:46:48. > :46:50.down, Mary Keitany is sensing the finish line, and she can put every

:46:51. > :47:03.last effort into trying to crack that barrier -- even on those --

:47:04. > :47:06.climbs. Gemma Steel will get a lot of information from the crowd about

:47:07. > :47:10.how quick she is running and how well she is doing. She is going to

:47:11. > :47:13.smash her personal best to smithereens, Gemma Steel, running

:47:14. > :47:19.the best international race we have seen from her at a half marathon.

:47:20. > :47:23.The future beckons for Gemma Steel. Maybe the longer distance, maybe

:47:24. > :47:26.cross-country. But we are looking at a phenomenal performance from Mary

:47:27. > :47:30.Keitany, coming back after having two children, the woman who has run

:47:31. > :47:35.the second fastest marathon after Paula red Cliff, the lady who I

:47:36. > :47:40.thought would revise the times of marathon running -- Paula Radcliffe.

:47:41. > :47:45.Maybe she is the future of marathon running, because today she has run

:47:46. > :47:51.with such concentration, with such power, with such speed. She is going

:47:52. > :47:55.to be close to the record books, if she does not beat the record she

:47:56. > :48:01.will go so close that the world will take notice of that performance. It

:48:02. > :48:06.is in the balance. Slowed a little bit, Paula, two seconds at 20 K. You

:48:07. > :48:12.saw the split come up while Brendan was talking. Two seconds slower than

:48:13. > :48:16.you went through the 20 K point. It is all about this last kilometre or

:48:17. > :48:23.so. She is into the last kilometre now, less than 800 to go. I think

:48:24. > :48:27.she can do it. I was watching her go through the 800 metres to go marker,

:48:28. > :48:34.and I think it left her about two minutes 30 seconds to cover the last

:48:35. > :48:37.800 metres in, which is about a five-minute mile, so she should be

:48:38. > :48:40.able to do that. She said she was going to use it at the gate as to

:48:41. > :48:45.whether she should run a marathon this year, or leave it until 2015.

:48:46. > :48:52.She is the king in very good shape you, so I would expect a marathon

:48:53. > :48:56.this autumn -- looking. If she runs aggressively in the marathon, which

:48:57. > :49:01.you always did, that is the way times change and records are broken.

:49:02. > :49:05.This lady, apart from being fast at the finish, she has the

:49:06. > :49:08.determination and ability. As we overlook overhead, South Shields, we

:49:09. > :49:16.see Mary Keitany coming through with 400 metres to go, 64 minutes and 23

:49:17. > :49:20.seconds. So she has got a bit to do, she has really got a bit to do. It

:49:21. > :49:24.will be interesting and exciting, but whatever happens, a great

:49:25. > :49:31.performance from Mary Keitany. The course record set in 2003, Paula red

:49:32. > :49:37.Cliff, 65 minutes and 40 seconds. Within sight of Mary Keitany, the

:49:38. > :49:40.finish line. In her focus, just wondering around the bollards there,

:49:41. > :49:45.she needs to raise the game and find a bit of a sprint here. Mary

:49:46. > :49:50.Keitany, never beaten over the half marathon distance. This will be her

:49:51. > :49:56.ninth consecutive win. She has 200 metres to go, she has got to cover

:49:57. > :50:01.it in a very quick 30 seconds or so. I'm not sure she's going to be able

:50:02. > :50:05.to do that. Mary Keitany with a bright future ahead of her, I am

:50:06. > :50:09.sure, at the marathon distance. What sort of time can she produce here at

:50:10. > :50:12.the Great North Run? She has dominated this race from the very

:50:13. > :50:16.beginning, set a fast pace. The others dropped away and could not

:50:17. > :50:21.keep with her. Now the question is, will she break the course record?

:50:22. > :50:27.The clock is ticking as she approaches the finish line. It is

:50:28. > :50:37.going to be so close. She wins it and ties the record. We will have to

:50:38. > :50:41.get official confirmation. I think it might have to get rounded up!

:50:42. > :50:48.Paula Radcliffe said surely it gets rounded up to 65:41. We will have to

:50:49. > :50:51.get official confirmation. But one thing you can say, that is one of

:50:52. > :50:55.the greatest runs over the half marathon distance. It might be the

:50:56. > :51:02.joint best run on this particular course. And for Mary Keitany, either

:51:03. > :51:09.way, it is a new personal best. You can see very much that Mary Keitany

:51:10. > :51:11.is back on top of the world. And here is another outstanding

:51:12. > :51:17.performance, in second place, getting great support from the

:51:18. > :51:21.crowd, Gemma Steel of Great Britain chopping minutes off her best

:51:22. > :51:27.personal time. As long as she knows it, 66 minutes coming up, with 400

:51:28. > :51:31.metres to go. Gemma Steel, the athlete who has been outstanding on

:51:32. > :51:36.the country, she has been very good over short distances on the roads,

:51:37. > :51:40.she is a reluctant marathon runner. She nearly ran London but then

:51:41. > :51:46.didn't. She said to me, I am scared about the marathon, I am not sure I

:51:47. > :51:51.am going to do it. Her next target, believe it or not, is the European

:51:52. > :51:55.cross-country championship. But here she comes. Brilliant performance by

:51:56. > :52:01.Gemma Steel. She is tired and she is working hard. The big clock ahead of

:52:02. > :52:05.you will tell you that you are heading for a big personal best, she

:52:06. > :52:10.will be able to see it as she comes round this traffic island, she will

:52:11. > :52:13.have just over 200 metres to go. She stuck with the very fast pace being

:52:14. > :52:18.set by Keitany, it was a brave, brave thing to do. There were better

:52:19. > :52:22.runners, supposedly, in the field, including the winner of the London

:52:23. > :52:30.Marathon, Edna Kiplagat, including the Olympic marathon champion, Tiki

:52:31. > :52:34.Gelana. She can see it is ticking away, but a personal best is going

:52:35. > :52:36.to be completely revised here. She is heading for one of the quickest

:52:37. > :52:41.ever half marathon times by a British woman. Paula Radcliffe of

:52:42. > :52:48.course tops that list, Liz McColgan is second best, that time has gone,

:52:49. > :52:53.Marianna Gucci with a third best of 68: 29, she is going to be in the

:52:54. > :52:58.top three of all time half marathon times for a British athlete. Gemma

:52:59. > :53:02.Steel, second place in the Great North Run, due to personal best.

:53:03. > :53:06.Well done, Gemma. Great performance from Gemma Steel. And look how

:53:07. > :53:17.delighted she is, and so she should be. We will get the official clock

:53:18. > :53:26.for her as well. Gemma Steel knows that it has been a huge day for her.

:53:27. > :53:29.As we see the Olympic marathon champion Tiki Gelana coming through

:53:30. > :53:35.in a pretty respectable time of 68:43. News coming to me at the

:53:36. > :53:41.minute is that the official time of the winner, and I am sorry, Paula,

:53:42. > :53:47.but I have to say that the new course record holder for the Great

:53:48. > :53:53.North Run is Mary Keitany, 65 minutes and 39 seconds is the

:53:54. > :53:59.official time. And there she is, celebrating with Gemma Steel, and

:54:00. > :54:05.with Tiki Gelana. A very high quality one, two, three, in the 2014

:54:06. > :54:11.Great North Run. Still a smile on Paula's face. Look at this, Keegan,

:54:12. > :54:17.the man who trains with Mo Farah in the past, he has set the pace, not

:54:18. > :54:22.only for Mo in the past, but his training partner is telling the

:54:23. > :54:29.pressure, turning the screw, and Mo Farah just revelling a little bit

:54:30. > :54:33.here. He tried to stay with the leaders last year and only lost out

:54:34. > :54:36.in a spin. He needs to hang onto Keegan here, at this stage you

:54:37. > :54:42.cannot let somebody get away. You certainly cannot. And when the

:54:43. > :54:46.cameras flashed for the women's race ending, they saw what was

:54:47. > :54:52.cameras flashed for the women's race in the mens rea is, there was a sigh

:54:53. > :54:58.as they saw Mo Farah losing a few yards -- in the men's race. His form

:54:59. > :55:02.is going a bit. Mo Farah is staying more consistent, almost closing up

:55:03. > :55:06.slightly here. We have a race on our hands here. The two training

:55:07. > :55:11.partners who spent many, many years running together, training together.

:55:12. > :55:16.This is not how you do it if you are in complete control. Mo Farah just

:55:17. > :55:22.being tested now. Can Mike Kigen keep going at this pace, let's face

:55:23. > :55:26.it, we all know that when Mo is under pressure he can produce a

:55:27. > :55:30.fantastic finish. He needs to start thinking about it, closing that gap.

:55:31. > :55:33.You sense that he maybe went through a bit of a bad patch, but you do go

:55:34. > :55:39.through bad patches in these sorts of races. Still working hard. One

:55:40. > :55:43.thing about Mo Farah, whether he is running great or poorly, he always

:55:44. > :55:49.gives 100%. The word graft is a word he uses often. I think your point,

:55:50. > :55:59.as we are watching these two, is they went from the six mile, 4:20

:56:00. > :56:04.seven, 4:20. Anything inside 4:30 is very fast indeed. That's why he is

:56:05. > :56:08.tired. Keegan might be even more tired at this point, and we will

:56:09. > :56:12.obviously find out. The ninth mile is a bit slow, but that's the one up

:56:13. > :56:17.John Reid Road. It is what happens from this point on. One thing we can

:56:18. > :56:22.say, they are both, at this point, heading for a quick time. Both

:56:23. > :56:27.heading for a quick time and Mo getting tantalisingly close. He has

:56:28. > :56:31.been considering this race for a full year. He was extremely

:56:32. > :56:36.disappointed to lose the race last year, and he lost the race last year

:56:37. > :56:41.by not negotiating the hill very well, he ran slowly down the steep

:56:42. > :56:44.hill leading to the seafront. I think we will see him run

:56:45. > :56:49.differently today. He joked about it at breakfast, he said, watch me down

:56:50. > :56:54.the hill today, I am not going to make a mistake. Now he really is

:56:55. > :57:00.being tested. Andy Vernon is running a good, solid race. He is in sixth

:57:01. > :57:03.place, having won two medals in the European Championships, and it is

:57:04. > :57:08.great to see Andy sticking to his task. Eventually I think Andy Vernon

:57:09. > :57:13.will run a good ten mile, and a very good half marathon. But he has had a

:57:14. > :57:17.hard season. In sixth place at 15: It is. Looking at his watch, he

:57:18. > :57:27.knows exactly what he is doing. He should enjoy this one. He is running

:57:28. > :57:37.well. The Keeley just ahead of him. -- Bekele. Four minutes 37 through

:57:38. > :57:43.the 10th mile, and Mo Farah back with Keegan, and he will just be

:57:44. > :57:49.hoping that he has maybe pushed on a bit too early. He has a look behind.

:57:50. > :57:54.There is no danger behind him. Now if he can to stay with Keegan to the

:57:55. > :57:56.seafront I am sure he will be able to, because Keegan must have gone a

:57:57. > :58:03.bit quick through that section, surely he cannot find another couple

:58:04. > :58:07.of miles under four minutes 30. I think Mo Farah will have had a bit

:58:08. > :58:12.of a shock, he spoke about wanting to win the race at times not being

:58:13. > :58:15.important. I'd think he was expecting Mike Kigen to take the

:58:16. > :58:20.race to him quite as much as he did. I think it is a good move by Mike,

:58:21. > :58:27.he has tried to use the surprise element and make it a hard race for

:58:28. > :58:31.Mo. He went through a rough patch between nine and ten miles, but now

:58:32. > :58:36.he is back, to be behind Kigen, and the closer he gets to the finish,

:58:37. > :58:39.the more it is in his territory. He knows he has the excessive speed

:58:40. > :58:42.along the seafront, he knows he can run quickly. It is a case of getting

:58:43. > :58:47.himself ready to be running the spring. He has closed the gap and

:58:48. > :58:51.looks to be running more smoothly than he was a couple of miles ago.

:58:52. > :59:00.Bit of a rock and rolling style from Mike Kigen, but there he is, Mo

:59:01. > :59:04.Farah, a yard or two, giving us a little moment or two of anxiety. No

:59:05. > :59:09.British athlete has won this race since 1985 when Steve Kenyon won the

:59:10. > :59:14.race. That was a long time ago. He was a good athlete in his day, Steve

:59:15. > :59:18.Kenyon. But we have not had a British winner since. We have had

:59:19. > :59:22.lots of good ones tried but we have not had one succeed. And here are

:59:23. > :59:27.the last few people crossing the finishing line. Sebastien is still

:59:28. > :59:32.there to shake hands, shaking hands, and the man with the green hair

:59:33. > :59:42.giving him a bit of advice, I don't know what he needs the umbrella for.

:59:43. > :59:43.We are well over 41,000 people crossing the start line. We will get

:59:44. > :59:52.an exact figure. That will be a record on a

:59:53. > :00:01.record-breaking David Great North Run. -- day for the Great North Run.

:00:02. > :00:06.Will it be a record day for Mo Farah? They are still on 60 minute

:00:07. > :00:10.pace, if they can finish strongly, that would be a big run from Mo if

:00:11. > :00:15.he can get under 60 minutes, given what has happened to him this year.

:00:16. > :00:18.Kigen is still pushing on, there is still a three-metre gap and you

:00:19. > :00:23.always like to see people right alongside at this point or at least

:00:24. > :00:29.tucked in right behind. Three or four metres. I always think that Mo

:00:30. > :00:35.sometimes thinks I'm OK here, but you have to be careful. He is OK but

:00:36. > :00:42.do not let it grow. He could be in complete control at that point. Is

:00:43. > :00:49.that Kiprotich? That is Ayeko, the other Ugandan athlete. He is in

:00:50. > :00:54.third place there. Running through, getting some support there, too. He

:00:55. > :00:58.is in a lonely Place now, he is well behind the leaders and it looks as

:00:59. > :01:04.though there is a fair gap to his team-mates behind him. Thomas Ayeko

:01:05. > :01:08.from Uganda. At this point we are still wondering now what is

:01:09. > :01:16.happening up front as the race changed, has he got any closer, can

:01:17. > :01:20.he hang on? There is the overhead shot, he is tantalisingly a few

:01:21. > :01:24.yards back, lots of athletes at this point would run on the shoulder of

:01:25. > :01:29.the leader, but the confidence that Mo Farah has in his spread finish

:01:30. > :01:33.which he has always possessed and used only to such a great extent

:01:34. > :01:37.over the past four or five years, but this is a hard one. Running a

:01:38. > :01:41.half marathon at this pace is going to hurt no matter who you are, Mo is

:01:42. > :01:47.hurting but he will keep his mind on the job. It is now three or four

:01:48. > :01:53.yards. That was a slow mile and he is still hurting, you would think he

:01:54. > :01:58.would be a bit more relaxed. If he can just hang on and don't forget

:01:59. > :02:02.last year as we approach this area, he was looking good. He was in a

:02:03. > :02:07.good position. When it came to this steep downhill area onto the

:02:08. > :02:12.seafront, that is where the gap was created by Bekele, opening up the

:02:13. > :02:16.gap and working hard to get back to him in the last mile but all of a

:02:17. > :02:21.sudden Kigen is just retching, moving and trying to move away and

:02:22. > :02:25.Mo is working so hard to hang on, now, let's see in this next quarter

:02:26. > :02:30.of a mile or so how he will contend with this steep downhill section.

:02:31. > :02:35.You know that Mo Farah will work hard and always give 100% no matter

:02:36. > :02:38.how much he is hurting, and this morning he talked about this hill,

:02:39. > :02:45.it took him by surprise last year and he did not handle it well, it is

:02:46. > :02:48.steep and you have to be careful, as they go up to the roundabout Mike

:02:49. > :02:54.Kigen is wondering if he can win this. He is thinking he is a little

:02:55. > :02:59.bit close, and Mo Farah is now relaxing again but if you were in

:03:00. > :03:04.complete control, you would be right next to him, not giving him three

:03:05. > :03:08.yards? Yes, but if I was Mike Kigen trying to win the race I would not

:03:09. > :03:13.just look over my shoulder and almost slow down and allow the gap

:03:14. > :03:18.to close, after working so hard to establish it. As we see this

:03:19. > :03:22.downhill section Mo can use that in the way that Kenenisa Bekele used it

:03:23. > :03:26.last year to get the gap and the advantage and certainly to close the

:03:27. > :03:30.gap easily, and when he drops down onto the seafront and they get to

:03:31. > :03:35.the last mile, I think Mo will get more confident and Mike Kigen maybe

:03:36. > :03:41.had his chance when he had a gap to stretch it a bit more and make it a

:03:42. > :03:46.decent gap onto the front. This is intriguing, isn't it? It stretches

:03:47. > :03:50.and it comes back again, Mo Farah is working hard and Kigen is really

:03:51. > :03:56.pushing on, should he forget it is Mo Farah? Just concentrate as Mo

:03:57. > :04:01.Farah suggested, and tried to break him. -- as Paula suggested. He knows

:04:02. > :04:05.that a steep downhill section is coming up and it could be crucial in

:04:06. > :04:10.who will negotiate it the best, they will go down the roundabout, that is

:04:11. > :04:13.the closest Mo Farah has been and as Brandon was saying Mo is thinking

:04:14. > :04:21.about this, he knows it is coming, is he is going to try to go past

:04:22. > :04:28.Kigen? He did not do this well last year, let's see what happens. It is

:04:29. > :04:31.so steep, it is hard to explain, you have been running and you are tired

:04:32. > :04:38.and you have to use bits of your legs you do not want to use down

:04:39. > :04:42.here. I tell you what, then he is negotiating the hill slightly better

:04:43. > :04:46.than last year, not in a winning position yet, but he is within

:04:47. > :04:50.striking distance, Mike Kigen is running aggressively, too, and as

:04:51. > :04:54.they turned down the bottom of the hill, going a long way down to where

:04:55. > :05:00.we are at the finish, this is going to be a long, hard run, there is no

:05:01. > :05:04.question. Mo Farah is a bit closer, the downhill bit from Mo Farah was

:05:05. > :05:08.pretty successful but now he is a sprinter, he knows he can run fast

:05:09. > :05:14.in the last 400 metres, he just has to keep a yard or two, he has do

:05:15. > :05:19.keep close, because Mo Farah is clearly the fastest over 400 metres.

:05:20. > :05:25.Into the last mile, 55 minutes on the plot, very close to the 60

:05:26. > :05:29.minute mark, may even close to Mo's personal best. He is an athlete who

:05:30. > :05:33.gathers personal bests. It has not been a good year in terms of

:05:34. > :05:39.personal bests for Mo Farah. Could it be today? I wonder if that has

:05:40. > :05:43.been his aim all along today, watching him there, has he been

:05:44. > :05:46.working with Mike Kigen to break the 60 minute barrier? That is a huge

:05:47. > :05:50.barrier and it looks as though this race has been set up perfectly by

:05:51. > :05:53.Mike Kigen to get Mo under the barrier today so we could see the

:05:54. > :05:58.first British winner for a long time but more importantly we may see them

:05:59. > :06:02.getting under the 60 minute barrier. Kigen almost encouraging Mo Farah,

:06:03. > :06:11.chatting away there, you may well be right, Paula, he has done a great

:06:12. > :06:14.job for Farah, as Mo Farah checks behind, there is only the man on the

:06:15. > :06:19.bike protecting them. Now Mo Farah comes into the part of the race

:06:20. > :06:23.which is very much his domain, it could well be the case that he will

:06:24. > :06:27.get close to his personal best, not far away but it depends on how fast

:06:28. > :06:32.they raced the sprint. They seem to be running fast together, Kigen is

:06:33. > :06:37.allowing Mo to run alongside him and they did have a bit of a chat and

:06:38. > :06:41.minute or so ago. And Mo Farah will be pleased that he has just managed

:06:42. > :06:50.to stay close enough and hopefully we'll be able to strike in the last

:06:51. > :06:53.four metres. -- hopefully he will. I was not anxious but I am anxious

:06:54. > :07:00.because I think Mike Kigen has kicked began, they will have a go at

:07:01. > :07:04.one another and Mike Kigen is stretching out. Mo Farah is a track

:07:05. > :07:09.runner, a champion, he knows his distances, he sees the 20 kilometre

:07:10. > :07:14.sign, 1.1 kilometres remaining, he is one second behind Mike Kigen, he

:07:15. > :07:19.has run well at to this point but he will have to run three minutes but

:07:20. > :07:24.the last kilometre, can he break the 60 minute barrier? I hope he has got

:07:25. > :07:29.the right information. As they come down the road, Mo gives us another

:07:30. > :07:42.bout of nerds, can we see the first British winner since 1985? --

:07:43. > :07:47.nerves. Kigen knows he has a gap and Mo Farah is alongside him now, will

:07:48. > :07:51.he kick on? For the first time Mo Farah takes the lead in the Great

:07:52. > :07:56.North Run, Kigen has been forcing the pace but he is watching as Mo

:07:57. > :07:59.Farah picks it up and he is now on the downhill section, he will see

:08:00. > :08:06.the big crowds in the distance and he will just about be able to pick

:08:07. > :08:10.out the finish line. So many people between him and the line. But he

:08:11. > :08:15.knows now that if he can just finish this off well and produce the sort

:08:16. > :08:20.of finish he did last year, surely the win will be his with 600 metres

:08:21. > :08:24.to go. He has to go for it, he really has do try to win this by a

:08:25. > :08:28.few yards. Mike Kigen is still threatening in second place but Mo

:08:29. > :08:34.Farah the sprinter, Mo Farah the Olympic and world champion, Mo Farah

:08:35. > :08:38.this year 's world 5000 and 10,000 metres champion, we have to see what

:08:39. > :08:42.kind of finish Mo Farah has at the end of a half marathon, this is

:08:43. > :08:46.almost as fast as he has ever run at this distance before but he has

:08:47. > :08:51.company still, he still has to win the race, this is so exciting and

:08:52. > :08:54.nerve racking, can we see Mo Farah becoming the first British athlete

:08:55. > :09:05.to win the Great North Run since 1985? 400 metres to go, below 60

:09:06. > :09:09.seconds 400 metres, we would expect this on the track. Can he do it in

:09:10. > :09:13.the half marathon? He has not won get, the crowd are trying to lift

:09:14. > :09:17.him, they know what happened last year when he could not hold off

:09:18. > :09:22.Kenenisa Bekele but this time he is the man at the front, the man

:09:23. > :09:28.forcing the pace, like Keegan who is so familiar to him is very close,

:09:29. > :09:32.but surely he cannot out kick Mo Farah, he cannot do it in the past

:09:33. > :09:38.and will not be able to do it here. 200 metres to go, there goes Farah,

:09:39. > :09:44.Kigen has no cancer and Farah moves three metres clear. -- no answer. He

:09:45. > :09:48.continues to get away, one last look over the shoulder, he is still

:09:49. > :09:53.gritting his teeth. He is kicking hard, he has one more look behind,

:09:54. > :09:58.he has been cheered on by this huge crowd. This is a huge day for the

:09:59. > :10:03.Great North Run, will it be below 60 seconds? Kigen is coming back again,

:10:04. > :10:08.he has do hang on and Mo Farah wins the Great North Run, right on the

:10:09. > :10:14.one-hour mark. A new personal best for Mo Farah. He wins by the

:10:15. > :10:18.smallest of margins from Mike Kigen. That was a great race from Kigen, he

:10:19. > :10:22.held the lead for so long but Mo Farah had enough in the end and

:10:23. > :10:25.goodness me that was hard work. It has not been an easy day at the

:10:26. > :10:31.office, this was not a run when he could relax. He had to keep working.

:10:32. > :10:36.He has produced a new personal best and of course a British best for the

:10:37. > :10:41.half marathon distance. He knows he has been at work today. Nobody can

:10:42. > :10:48.run 60 minutes for the half marathon without working so hard and Mo Farah

:10:49. > :10:53.is a grafter, a champion, and Steve Kenyon won the Great North Run in

:10:54. > :10:57.1985, Mo Farah is the first British man since then to win. He knows he

:10:58. > :11:01.has had a race. Mike Kigen has had an exceptional race today but Mo

:11:02. > :11:12.Farah has returned to winning ways and I think he needs a rest now. The

:11:13. > :11:17.race for third place, the Olympic and world champion Stephen Kiprotich

:11:18. > :11:23.of Uganda, looking over his shoulder the costs to recoup the is

:11:24. > :11:34.threatening. -- because Bekele is threatening. Kiprotich is coming

:11:35. > :11:38.through. Kiprotich is just checking, Ayeko had been in third

:11:39. > :11:45.place but he has dropped back and Kiprotich takes third and then

:11:46. > :11:53.Tariku Bekele. And just ahead of me I can see Ayeko coming into fifth

:11:54. > :12:02.place, he has faded. They are asking who one. Only just. -- who won.

:12:03. > :12:11.There is Ayeko. He went with the early pace and stayed with Mo Farah

:12:12. > :12:18.for quite a while and he was certainly looking strong in third

:12:19. > :12:22.three miles back, but Kiprotich and Bekele just went past him and we are

:12:23. > :12:29.hoping to see Andy Vernon, and Andy Vernon has had a strong race here.

:12:30. > :12:40.Andy can see the finish line and he is heading towards a big personal

:12:41. > :12:44.best, his best is only 64 .40. The European Championships where his

:12:45. > :12:49.target the summer. What a nice way to finish, with a new personal best

:12:50. > :12:50.over the half marathon distance, sixth place in this year 's Great

:12:51. > :13:09.North Run. Well, there is sure top three. A new

:13:10. > :13:12.British best and a personal best for Mo Farah, Kigen had a great run in

:13:13. > :13:17.second place and Stephen Kiprotich I am sure in a field of this stature

:13:18. > :13:20.will be delighted with third spot as well. Another great race at the

:13:21. > :13:35.Great North Run. Well, we are winding are weighed 12

:13:36. > :13:39.miles back towards Newcastle and this is the site that Brendan was

:13:40. > :13:50.talking about, it is a record year anyway. -- winding our way.

:13:51. > :13:54.Thousands of people have crossed the start line in their quest to get to

:13:55. > :13:58.South Shields in as quick a time as they can and hopefully safely. This

:13:59. > :14:02.is the day that one of these people that you can see, the clock is

:14:03. > :14:07.ticking, the ticker will be taking as the men and women cross the

:14:08. > :14:11.finish line, and that will keep going up until we get to the

:14:12. > :14:12.millionth finisher, who will it be? It is going to be someone down

:14:13. > :14:26.there. I am running the Great North Run for

:14:27. > :14:31.the first time and I am looking forward to it a lot. I am running

:14:32. > :14:39.for Headway, the brain injury Association. I am running in memory

:14:40. > :14:44.of my son 's friend. I would love to be the millionth finisher. Being the

:14:45. > :14:52.millionth runner is better than being the last one! My biggest

:14:53. > :14:56.passion is to be the 1,000,000th person to do the Bupa Great North

:14:57. > :15:01.Run. This is my first Great North Run and it would be epic if I

:15:02. > :15:06.actually was the millionth finisher. I would like to be the millionth

:15:07. > :15:11.finisher this year. This is my 25th consecutive Great North Run. I would

:15:12. > :15:17.like to be the millionth finisher because why not? ! This is the best

:15:18. > :15:20.half marathon in the world. It would be great to be the millionth person

:15:21. > :15:27.across the line, the most fantastic feeling. Great scenes in South

:15:28. > :15:34.Shields at the finish where I have made my way.

:15:35. > :15:43.The counter is still ticking down. Mo Farah had a tough journey here

:15:44. > :15:47.from Newcastle to South Shields, a very difficult race, and I had a

:15:48. > :15:53.difficult journey in the car, I almost didn't make it. We got a big

:15:54. > :15:59.puncher and we had to stop off about halfway there. There's me,

:16:00. > :16:02.obviously, pointing at it. One of the boys in blue in a police car

:16:03. > :16:10.picked me up. Big thank you, because otherwise I would not be here. We

:16:11. > :16:16.caught up with a few before they crossed the start line. The week

:16:17. > :16:23.after the Great North Run 2012 I contacted a brain infection where I

:16:24. > :16:27.was not able to talk all walk. And it looked like I was either going to

:16:28. > :16:31.be disabled or at the very worst would not survive. Incredible that a

:16:32. > :16:36.few years later you have made a recovery and you are not only

:16:37. > :16:39.walking, but running today? Elizabeth and my husband and the

:16:40. > :16:43.rest of my family were the inspiration that really got me going

:16:44. > :16:48.to get out of the hospital bed and get walking and get running again.

:16:49. > :16:56.We are raising funds for Katie 's Angels on behalf of over gate

:16:57. > :16:58.Hospice in Halifax. I lost my daughter Katie Jane Richardson Elfed

:16:59. > :17:07.three years ago to bowel cancer. She was a patient for 12 months at the

:17:08. > :17:10.hospice before she passed away. She made me, her mum, promised that I

:17:11. > :17:16.would continue raising funds for the hospice. I had a back injury in the

:17:17. > :17:20.early 90s originally and it gradually deteriorated so that I was

:17:21. > :17:25.using a wheelchair. Did the Great North Run in 2009 and 2010 in a

:17:26. > :17:28.wheelchair with the help of Diane. Had a couple of operations two years

:17:29. > :17:33.ago which have meant that I am now back on my feet, so it is a real

:17:34. > :17:39.challenge to be able to do the Great North Run on my feet and just get

:17:40. > :17:43.over the finishing line. Did you ever imagine you would be here

:17:44. > :17:47.today? No, absolutely not. I was quite resigned to the fact that I

:17:48. > :17:50.would be a wheelchair user forever. I am running for cancer research

:17:51. > :17:54.because I have lost a lot of friends and family over the last few years.

:17:55. > :17:58.They do a great job, there, for families and people with the

:17:59. > :18:07.illness, a great charity. Emotional day, I imagine, for you? Yes. It is

:18:08. > :18:14.a special day to day. I was wearing a gorilla suit and I thought, let's

:18:15. > :18:20.bring something into this. People, and the children, they take an

:18:21. > :18:26.interest, look, there is a gorilla, a pirate, perhaps I will get Mum to

:18:27. > :18:31.give me money to put in the box. Certainly been getting a lot of

:18:32. > :18:34.attention already. That was my aim from day one, and I hope it works.

:18:35. > :18:40.Not sure how comfortable you are going to be in this, but best of

:18:41. > :18:43.luck today. Thank you very much. Not going to be very camp will at all,

:18:44. > :18:48.on a warm day. Running for the British Legion, the charity behind

:18:49. > :18:52.the Poppy Appeal, of course. I'm sure that if something very close to

:18:53. > :18:57.the heart of the oldest runner here, the 93-year-old Jarrett gym, he is a

:18:58. > :19:03.Great North Run favourite. He is also a World War II veteran. We have

:19:04. > :19:09.seen him so many times running the great North run. The British Legion

:19:10. > :19:21.have made a special presentation to him in recognition of his

:19:22. > :19:31.achievement. The Poppy, to me, is a symbol of memories. And friends that

:19:32. > :19:36.I have lost. Even watching this one here, I can see the faces of some of

:19:37. > :19:46.my friends, which the poppies remind me about. You just draw, as a

:19:47. > :19:53.creative person, on your own experiences. When I knew I wanted to

:19:54. > :19:57.do this, I had to use the Poppy. I remembered the poem, and the one

:19:58. > :20:00.image burnt in my brain, I remember seeing it for the first time at the

:20:01. > :20:09.age of ten, is that photo of the soldiers raising the flag. Brothers

:20:10. > :20:13.in Arms, when everything else is falling apart around them, they are

:20:14. > :20:18.together, working for a single goal. It is an amazing image, and

:20:19. > :20:26.that is the one I had to use. It has almost been, for me, remembering

:20:27. > :20:37.what all of that, check is about. When I was 80 and one month, we went

:20:38. > :20:45.to a little place for some training, and we ended up in France -- 18 and

:20:46. > :20:51.one month. The first job was to blow the bridges up so they could not get

:20:52. > :20:59.across. And then the march back to Dunkirk. We marched 154 miles in

:21:00. > :21:10.four days. After time without any food. It was tough. -- half of the

:21:11. > :21:14.time. We are putting on the back of every piece relevant to that day,

:21:15. > :21:20.either what happened, all we have extracts from letters from that day,

:21:21. > :21:25.and that is incredible in itself. Collating over 1500 days, the

:21:26. > :21:30.archive I have now is extraordinary. People are sending me letters to

:21:31. > :21:35.look at from the trenches. And they have got the mud of the trenches on

:21:36. > :21:47.them, from a 17-year-old boy, it is incredible. You had dugouts, same as

:21:48. > :21:50.the Germans, we used to go and bomb them and they used to come and

:21:51. > :21:56.bombers. Squat patrollers and things like that. The whole thing about it,

:21:57. > :22:01.it is about people like Jim, because they are important, normal, everyday

:22:02. > :22:05.people who did incredible things. And it is only when we start

:22:06. > :22:11.thinking about people like him and focus on those tiny details, those

:22:12. > :22:15.single people, that we realise the first, the Second World War, what is

:22:16. > :22:21.going on now is made up of the thousands of stories like Jim's. The

:22:22. > :22:25.fact that I can give him one of these pieces, dedicate it to him, he

:22:26. > :22:42.should be getting a lot more than that. Fantastic. The British

:22:43. > :22:50.Legion, without it, what would happen? The First World War, Second

:22:51. > :22:55.World War, and those afterwards. They are such an incredible charity.

:22:56. > :22:58.They walk into people 's houses and they sought them out. They don't

:22:59. > :23:07.shout about it, and they don't need to. There is no way I could run a

:23:08. > :23:10.half marathon. And the fact he is 90, that is incredible in itself, no

:23:11. > :23:17.matter what he has done in the past, that is awesome. It is a bit of fun,

:23:18. > :23:20.really. I was at Dunkirk in 1940 when the Germans chased us and I was

:23:21. > :23:25.fast then, and I did not have trainers on, I had army boots on,

:23:26. > :23:34.carrying a lot of kit. And I was very fast and the Germans couldn't

:23:35. > :23:39.catch me. But now I'm running... If I was as fast now as I was at

:23:40. > :23:47.Dunkirk, I would win the Great North Run.

:23:48. > :23:54.We love Jarra Jim, and the crowds love Mo Farah as well. He has been a

:23:55. > :23:59.big star today, just won the race by the narrowest of margins, but the

:24:00. > :24:07.important thing was that he won, and he came and entertained everybody

:24:08. > :24:13.supremely well. I bet there are a few selfies out there with Mo as

:24:14. > :24:16.well. Let's tidy things up in terms of timings. It is a bit like running

:24:17. > :24:21.exactly a four-minute mile, exactly one hour for the half marathon

:24:22. > :24:27.distance, a new personal best and a British best for Mo Farah. Kigen in

:24:28. > :24:35.second place, Kiprotich, the Olympic marathon champion in third. Andy

:24:36. > :24:42.Vernon in sixth place and Johnny Hay in ninth. A new course record for

:24:43. > :24:46.Mary Keitany, big new personal best, third on the British all-time list,

:24:47. > :24:53.Gemma Steel for Great Britain, great race in second. Tiki Gelana, Olympic

:24:54. > :24:58.champion, in third. Charlotte Purdue, her first half marathon,

:24:59. > :25:01.finished in eighth. Jordi Madeira taking the wheelchair ahead of Simon

:25:02. > :25:13.Lawson, coming through in the last 500 metres. Rafa Botello Jimenez in

:25:14. > :25:18.third place a few minutes back. Great elite races. Not least the

:25:19. > :25:22.men's race. Mo Farah alongside me. You have won the Great North Run,

:25:23. > :25:26.how does it feel? It feels great. There was massive support from the

:25:27. > :25:31.crowd and everyone. I just had to dig in deep. Kigen is a great

:25:32. > :25:35.athlete and he kept pushing and pushing and pushing, so I was just

:25:36. > :25:40.hanging and hanging and hanging. In the end I knew I had more speed. You

:25:41. > :25:44.know him well, you have trained with him and he has done pacing for you.

:25:45. > :25:49.Were you surprised at how well he was running? Yeah, I was really

:25:50. > :25:54.surprised. We have the same manager and our aim was to try to get rid of

:25:55. > :25:59.Brendan and run comfortable and then come home strong, that was our aim.

:26:00. > :26:02.Once we dropped everybody I was thinking, all right, Kigen, it is

:26:03. > :26:07.just me and you, but he wanted to run fast. Just kept pushing and

:26:08. > :26:12.pushing. A couple of times I was thinking, how many more miles, but I

:26:13. > :26:16.just had to dig in. Been a tough year, did you think you could run as

:26:17. > :26:21.fast as that? No chance. Early on I was thinking my aim was to run

:26:22. > :26:26.60-something, but I did not know I would run that fast. Great to finish

:26:27. > :26:31.the season with a win and a good time, I can take my break and relax

:26:32. > :26:35.now. At the end of the race you make your move with about 200 to go, but

:26:36. > :26:42.Kigen came back at you and it was very close at the end. Yeah, 200

:26:43. > :26:57.metres to go I kind of push. Did not know much of a gap I had. You go

:26:58. > :27:00.back a year, and you came second to Kenenisa Bekele, looking back, what

:27:01. > :27:07.have you learned? Definitely learned a lot this year. You learn a lot

:27:08. > :27:11.when something happens. It has been up and down, but I managed to put

:27:12. > :27:14.that behind me and get two wins and hopefully I can take a break now and

:27:15. > :27:18.get ready for next year for the World Championship in Beijing. Just

:27:19. > :27:26.got to stay injury free, take my break, take it easy and get ready.

:27:27. > :27:30.Looking to double again, the five and ten? What is in your plans at

:27:31. > :27:33.the moment or is it too soon to say? Too soon to say, but my aim is

:27:34. > :27:38.definitely the ten K and it depends how it goes after that. I would like

:27:39. > :27:43.to go out and put a marker down and run a good time and get ready,

:27:44. > :27:46.similar to what I did in 2011. How important whether European

:27:47. > :27:50.Championships when you have the two gold medals? You had a sickness,

:27:51. > :27:52.airlifted to hospital, you could not do the Commonwealth and you were

:27:53. > :27:57.disappointed. How important were those two goals? Really important

:27:58. > :28:00.for me, before the European Championship tie pulled out of the

:28:01. > :28:03.Commonwealth Games and did not even know if I would do the Europeans. I

:28:04. > :28:08.managed to get it behind you get a couple more weeks training, and come

:28:09. > :28:14.to the Europeans. Ten K was OK, and the five K, got a lot of confidence

:28:15. > :28:19.from that, run a decent last lap. It was good to get two wins, British

:28:20. > :28:25.record, and then here today. Well look, Mo, going on holiday? Yes, I

:28:26. > :28:31.am going to make island, back to the Richard Branson island, for ten

:28:32. > :28:36.days, putting my feet up to relax and getting ready for next year.

:28:37. > :28:39.Well done on this season, it has been tough, but you have tended

:28:40. > :28:45.around, like many champions do. Thank you. Coming towards the end of

:28:46. > :28:49.our coverage here on BBC One, but we are going straight over to BBC Two,

:28:50. > :28:52.where we continue our build-up to the 1,000,000th finish, extended

:28:53. > :28:54.highlights of that opening ceremony on Thursday, which was brilliant, so

:28:55. > :28:56.we