Wow… what an incredible day that was. It’s been quite an incredible 13+months, to be fair.
So I signed up to do the Great North Run 2024 on 8th September 2023. Exactly 12 months to prepare for “one of the biggest challenges of my life”.
Anyone that knew me then would realise how big a challenge this was. I’d struggle to walk a mile without being out of breath. The Great North Run is 13.1 miles.
The goal was to complete it one way or another… even if I walk it, as many do. I knew I wanted to do more than “just walk it” though.
The diet and the work in the gym with Matty the PT was more than just training for the GNR. It was about rebuilding my body. Building muscle, definition, strength, endurance and stamina. Not all these objectives go hand in hand with training for a half marathon.
At the beginning of my fitness reboot was a friend I’d randomly come across through a Jaguar car meet in March 2023 – Ken aka Coach Ken. Without actually saying anything about my health or lack of fitness, Ken inspired me to take a look at myself and make some significant changes. I had to completely rethink my lifestyle. I had to become a different person, mentally as well as physically. Ken was there to guide and support me in the early days. He put together spreadsheets calculating calorie and macros (protein, carbs and fats) intake, a book list and laying out a training plan – for Saturdays it simply said:
With that, in October 2023, I started 5k ParkRuns – albeit walking them. By Christmas I was running about half the 5k runs, but on new years day suffered a knee injury – patellar tendonitis. This meant no running for a few months, but the rest of my training in the gym continued unhindered.
I restarted ParkRun at the beginning of May with my first ever full 5km run – exactly four months to go until I was due to run 21km! Ten more ParkRun’s, a Blackpool 7.5km Night Run, and some 8k road running and run/sprint treadmill sessions and I was ‘ready’. Well, as ready as I was going to be in the circumstances.
🙂I was spending the weekend in Whitley Bay and with Ken living near by in South Shields we would be meeting up over the weekend ahead of the run, for dinner on Friday and cake and a drink on Saturday.
By the time Sunday came around I was quietly nervous. Sunday morning and Ken sent over the Met Office forecase for the day
Wet, but actually quite good conditions for running!
Making my way on a packed Metro from Whitley Bay to Haymarket station at Newcastle, meeting up with Matty the PT (left) and Ken (right).
Fog rolling in and rain coming down whilst we formed up in the holding area.
And I bumped in to these two lovely people…
… ok, not literally bumping into them (the fog wasn’t quite that bad!). It’s only Bill and Lesley from ParkRun Blackpool! Bill being the Trail Walker on my very first ParkRun when we chatted the entire time. On my second ParkRun it was Lesley’s turn to keep me company at the back 🙂
Maybe I look quite confident in this photo… inside, though, I had no idea how this was going to play out. I had trained, but not specifically for a half marathon. Remember, this was just supposed to be a “bit of fun”. I had not run a full 21km!
Now time to walk the final route towards the starting line.
The walk to the start was very much like a rollercoaster. The first bit where you get into your seat, strap yourself in and then start the slow ascent to the summit. Once there, you pause briefly before picking up speed and riding the ups and downs of the track ahead. Once you start there’s no stopping until you reach the end!
And at 12:27:37 we crossed the start line of the World’s largest half marathon. The rollercoaster was running under its own power. 21km of open roads, hills and loads of amazing cheering spectators!!!
The perfect image for my 12 month journey to the Great North Run. Flanked on either side by the two most influencial people – on the left is Coach Ken aka @NewcyBlue and on the right is my Personal Trainer Matty Schmid (Active4You).
After a couple of miles, Ken ordered Matty and myself to run ahead. Ken had joked for many weeks ahead of the run that I would set off from the start and leave him in my dust, but that wasn’t something I really wanted to do. It was an amazing feeling having these two inspirational people along side but after checking that Ken was ok we obeyed and picked up our pace a little bit.
Crossing the iconinc Tyne Bridge and approaching the first elevated section at the 5km mark climbing around 44m over the next 20 minutes. This hill was quite noticeable and I had been warned to take it easy from the start in order to be prepared.
Matty stayed with me and even started to enjoy himself. Particularly the spectators who came bearing gifts in the form of bowls of haribo, jelly babies, biscuits, and even ice pops! Incredible generosity from the thousands who lined every bit of the route, despite the weather!
It never got boring to hear cheers of “C’mon Matty!” C’mon Mark!” from total strangers. The first time hearing this is quite weird and Matty even said to me “How do they know my name?” It’s actually quite easy to forget you’re wearing a running bib with your name plastered all over it!
The field was crowded for the entire 13.1 miles which required quite a bit of weaving and dodging to navigate a path through the slower participants.
Not only spectators cheering us on, but bands, drum corps, music and charities all along the route to keep us moving along. At one point we were running along to “Grease Lightning”. Unfortuately, with everything that was going on I actually managed to miss my own charity, Bowel Cancer UK, which were on a roundabout around Mile 8. I was working in kilometers on the day.
1 Mile – 00:11:00 (6:50/km pace)
2 Mile – 00:22:34 (7:12/km pace)
3 Mile – 00:33:47 (6:59/km pace)
4 Mile – 00:44:50 (6:59/km pace)
5 Mile – 00:56:23 (7:11/km pace)
6 Mile – 01:07:37 (6:59/km pace)
7 Mile – 01:18:30 (6:46/km pace)
8 Mile – 01:29:08 (6:37/km pace)
9 Mile – 01:39:37 (6:31/km pace)
10 Mile – 01:49:35 (6:15/km pace)
11 Mile – 02:01:13 (7:14/km pace)
12 Mile – 02:11:27 (6:22/km pace)
13 Mile – 02:21:25 (6:09/km pace)
Finish – 02:22:26 (5:50/km pace)
At around the 9 mile mark, Matty decided we’d push a bit harder and increase our pace for the final 4 miles despite his calves and ankles suffering from around the 6 mile point.
At the 11 mile mark we had a quick pit stop – at the portaloos – which meant we were stationary for nearly 2 minutes ahead of the final ‘hill’. Now then, this is the hill I had been warned about many times in the run up to the event but it was nothing like I imagined and actually proved less of a “hurdle” than the first one earlier on in the run. Going back down was significantly steeper and running down at speed and having to dodge the walkers and slower paced runners was interesting. The challenge was to avoid running into the back of people 🙂
We could see the sea, and as we turned left onto the sea front, for the final mile, the scale of the event (had it not already sunk in) was plain to see.
So many people. So many runners.
I even caught a glimpse of a Jaguar friend, Simon, and high-fived him as I ran past getting closer to the finish line with every step.
As we turn right off the road and onto grass the finish line is within touching distance.
.. and Matty is still by my side as we cross the finish line together for an identical finish time!
2hrs 22mins 26secs
That’s our personal best for a half marathon! Ok, it’s also our first half marathon. A few people asked me over recent months what my target time was for the GNR and I always replied “I just want to finish it”. Well, of course I had a goal time in mind.
Over 7 mins 30 secs quicker than by personal goal time.
That’ll do!
Ken also had a good run putting in a GNR personal best and crossing the line with a respectable 2:47:09
Once we crossed the finish line it was like a conveyor belt. Pick up water. Collect medal. Collect goody bag and t-shirt. Have photo taken. Retrieve bags from the baggage buses. All when legs and knees are saying “Stop!
Eventually I was able to meet up with the crazy JaguarForum members who braved the elements and showed up – Tom, Simon and Graham. Thanks guys, it was great to see you even if it was brief. I hope you enjoyed the experience.
Matty made his way back to Durham, where he left his car, and then onward back to Lytham St. Annes.
I made my way to my charity tent to catch up with the Bowel Cancer UK team just as they were packing up for the day.
Then, with Graham (Jades) navigating, we made our way (slowly – my legs were screaming at me still) to Ocean Drive and a nice little Italian for pizza.
Parting company with Graham on the Metro and he headed off to his hotel at Tyne Dock and I headed up to Whitley Bay and my much needed and appreciated hotel room.
Thanks to friends and family, members of JaguarForum.com, members of TWTD.co.uk, the Jaguar Breakfast Club and LADOS for your support since I started out on this journey in July last year!
Of course, a huge thanks to Ken for his belief in me from the start, for inspiring me to take a leap and dive into the unknown, to step out of my comfort zone and to “get over it”. That belief pushed me to signing up to take part in the Great North Run, to joining the gym which set me on track to train with Matty Schmid. An incredible personal trainer. He’s gone well and truly above and beyond to work with me, support me and to run with me – not just the Great North Run, but ParkRun (ok, he only managed one of those) and the Blackpool Night Run 7.5km.
Thanks to everyone that has donated and generously supported my fundraiser for Bowel Cancer UK.
The fundraising page remains open. If anyone would like to and is able to support Bowel Cancer UK, it’s an incredibly important charity.
Looking forward to doing it all over again next year – the Great North Run – 7th September 2025.
I have a feeling the “GNR Trinity” – Matty, Ken and I – may well be back together again in September next year.
