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The race is the only one of it's kind that has attracted one million runners since starting in 1981, so the organisers were making a big thing of who would be the millionth finisher.
None of the runners knew whether the millionth finisher would come early or late in the race so it was just a case of run and see if you were the lucky one!
I was woken by my alarm at 6.15am and I was pleased to be greeted by a bright sunny day! I had my usual pre-race breakfast of porridge and a coffee before getting changed into my running gear.
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Each runner is issued with an electronic timing tag that attaches to their trainer. The tag is triggered as you cross the start and finish lines, giving an individual and accurate finishing time as well as the split times you pass certain timing mats en route such as at the 5K, 10K, 20K points.
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We left our home in Kendal at 7am for the 100 mile journey to Newcastle. It was fairly foggy going over the moors but the traffic flowed nicely and I was dropped off near the start line by my husband at around 9am for the 10.45am start!
I had to be dropped off early to enable my husband to drive to the finish and park before the surrounding roads were closed for the race!
I was pleased that I had worn an old hoodie (donated by my son) to keep me warm which I was planning on discarding at the start line.
I queued for the toilets for about 15 minutes before wandering to the starting pens.
By the time I had had a look around and watched a few of the celebrity runners being interviewed it was around 10am when I got to the white zone pen I was in.
I entered the white zone pen E and moved as close to the front of it as I could.
I had a quick look around for any familiar faces and was amazed to see a bloke standing right next to me who I had met in February at The Barcelona Half Marathon!
After chatting with him and watching the elite and wheelchair competitors start on the big screen it was time for us to warm-up.
Our communal warm-up was conducted by a Mr Motivator type guru who we followed on the big screen.
All warmed up and we were ready to go!
I discarded my hoodie over the barrier at this point. All the discarded clothes were later collected and donated to charity.
There was loads of things so I am sure the local charities will be delighted!
There was a chorus of Good Lucks between runners as the starting gun fired!
The atmosphere was electric as we shuffled towards the start! It took about 15 minutes before it was our turn to go over the starting mat, thank god for the timing chip!
I was on the left hand side of the dual carriageway which meant I headed downhill to go underneath the underpass where there was the usual chorus of "Oggy Oggy Oggy!" which never fails to make me laugh!
Just as I was emerging from the underpass I saw the red arrows fly over! I am so pleased I didn't miss them or I would have been bitterly disappointed!
I had decided to attempt to do a positive split race meaning I wanted to set off slowly and get faster each mile.
However, with the excitement of the race and the downhill nature of the first couple of miles this strategy totally went out the window with me completing my first mile in a 8.14 minute mile pace!
I passed the first walker at 1.5 miles which really irritated me as that person must have set off in a "fast zone" knowing he wouldn't be able to maintain the pace and was a obstacle to other runners.
With it being such a hot morning the first water station was much appreciated at around mile 3! I took this opportunity to have a slurp from my gel flask to maintain my energy levels. However, I can't have put it back in its holder properly as not very far up the road it dropped out! Luckily I heard it land and caused total chaos whilst I stopped to pick it up! I bet I was cursed by several runners at this point but I knew I couldn't survive the rest of the race without it! Rather than risk it falling out again I put it in my little bum bag where I knew it would be safe and secure! Running through the area around the water station was very tricky as there were hundreds of bottles littering the roads where people had just dropped them! Some were fairly full of water still so if you kicked one it really took off! I don't understand why people can't be more thoughtful and dispose of the bottles at the side of the road! At other races I have done large skips have been located just past water stations for runners to dispose of bottles safely which is a much better idea!
Along the entire route the streets were lined with hoards of spectators and children high fiving,which I really enjoyed! I was totally in the carnival spirit this year enjoying all the bands and the atmosphere immensely.
There was plenty of Haribo's and Jelly Babies on offer by the locals and even ice pops and Beer would you believe! However, I managed to refrain! I'm not quite sure how my stomach would react to running on beer!
As well as the 2 "official" shower stations there was lots of locals cooling us down with hose pipes which was much appreciated being such a hot day! The only thing I didn't appreciate was the kids squirting water bottles as we went passed! I wanted cooled down not drowned!
The route seemed more congested than I remember in previous years and it was difficult to maintain an even pace. It was a case of speeding up when the coast was clear and slowing down at other times. Going around the roundabouts and up the hills were the most difficult to navigate as I was reduced to a shuffle trying to zig zag in and out of walking runners!
After the course climbed slightly there was another water station at around mile 6 and I took another slug of my gel. I was still feeling very relaxed at this stage and wasn't too concerned about my time! I was more interested about having a good time rather than doing a good time!
Just before the 10 mile mark I took my remaining gel and still felt like I had plenty to give! There was a hill at around the 11 mile mark, then a nice steep downhill section leading down to the seafront and the final mile!
Here the crowd support was amazing which really spurred me on! I quickly glanced at my Garmin and realised that although I wasn't on target for a PB I could still get a course PB if I kept the pace up!
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As I had my name splattered over the front of my vest I was surrounded by spectators spurring me on by shouting my name! I hadn't realised that one of them was my husband until the last minute!
I could see the finishing arch in the distance and tried to put one last burst on!
I was delighted to finish after a thoroughly enjoyable race and although I didn't pace it as I had planned I seemed to pace it well and finished feeling good!
I stopped my Garmin and was pleased to see I had indeed managed to get a course PB finishing in 1:57:37.
Beating my previous GNR times of 1.59.46 and 2.21.49!
My Garmin stats can be seen here! The official time was 3 seconds faster at 1.57.34!
I had my timing chip removed by a friendly Marshall then made my way to collect a bottle of water and a goody bag containing a T shirt and the all important bling as well as a Lucozade drink, some sweets and a oat bar!
I slowly made my way through the crowds and had to queue to get into the family reunion area!
Eventually I made it to the place I had arranged to meet my husband and we found a nice quiet piece of grass in the sun to relax in.
At this point I was starving and devoured a sausage roll and a bag of crisps, followed by a chocolate bar!
What better way to refuel? Whilst we were eating lunch the one millionth finisher crossed the line! How exciting it must have been for her!
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After recovering we made our way to the car which was parked about 3/4 of a mile away.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable race, with a brilliant atmosphere which was well organised.
My only complaint would be the cost of the official photos. I think £17.99 for ONE digital download is a total rip off! It's a good job I took my own photographer with me! He got some great photo's of Mo Farah too!
I Had announced before this race that this was my third and final Great North Run! It is a very expensive race to enter and having run it 3 times I felt like I had "done" it! However, after having such a great day and loving every minute I am desperate to run it again!
I will have to let the ballot decide!
I discarded my hoodie over the barrier at this point. All the discarded clothes were later collected and donated to charity.
There was loads of things so I am sure the local charities will be delighted!
There was a chorus of Good Lucks between runners as the starting gun fired!
The atmosphere was electric as we shuffled towards the start! It took about 15 minutes before it was our turn to go over the starting mat, thank god for the timing chip!
I was on the left hand side of the dual carriageway which meant I headed downhill to go underneath the underpass where there was the usual chorus of "Oggy Oggy Oggy!" which never fails to make me laugh!
Just as I was emerging from the underpass I saw the red arrows fly over! I am so pleased I didn't miss them or I would have been bitterly disappointed!
I had decided to attempt to do a positive split race meaning I wanted to set off slowly and get faster each mile. However, with the excitement of the race and the downhill nature of the first couple of miles this strategy totally went out the window with me completing my first mile in a 8.14 minute mile pace!
I passed the first walker at 1.5 miles which really irritated me as that person must have set off in a "fast zone" knowing he wouldn't be able to maintain the pace and was a obstacle to other runners.
With it being such a hot morning the first water station was much appreciated at around mile 3! I took this opportunity to have a slurp from my gel flask to maintain my energy levels. However, I can't have put it back in its holder properly as not very far up the road it dropped out! Luckily I heard it land and caused total chaos whilst I stopped to pick it up! I bet I was cursed by several runners at this point but I knew I couldn't survive the rest of the race without it! Rather than risk it falling out again I put it in my little bum bag where I knew it would be safe and secure! Running through the area around the water station was very tricky as there were hundreds of bottles littering the roads where people had just dropped them! Some were fairly full of water still so if you kicked one it really took off! I don't understand why people can't be more thoughtful and dispose of the bottles at the side of the road! At other races I have done large skips have been located just past water stations for runners to dispose of bottles safely which is a much better idea!
Along the entire route the streets were lined with hoards of spectators and children high fiving,which I really enjoyed! I was totally in the carnival spirit this year enjoying all the bands and the atmosphere immensely.
There was plenty of Haribo's and Jelly Babies on offer by the locals and even ice pops and Beer would you believe! However, I managed to refrain! I'm not quite sure how my stomach would react to running on beer!
As well as the 2 "official" shower stations there was lots of locals cooling us down with hose pipes which was much appreciated being such a hot day! The only thing I didn't appreciate was the kids squirting water bottles as we went passed! I wanted cooled down not drowned!
The route seemed more congested than I remember in previous years and it was difficult to maintain an even pace. It was a case of speeding up when the coast was clear and slowing down at other times. Going around the roundabouts and up the hills were the most difficult to navigate as I was reduced to a shuffle trying to zig zag in and out of walking runners!
After the course climbed slightly there was another water station at around mile 6 and I took another slug of my gel. I was still feeling very relaxed at this stage and wasn't too concerned about my time! I was more interested about having a good time rather than doing a good time!
Just before the 10 mile mark I took my remaining gel and still felt like I had plenty to give! There was a hill at around the 11 mile mark, then a nice steep downhill section leading down to the seafront and the final mile!
Here the crowd support was amazing which really spurred me on! I quickly glanced at my Garmin and realised that although I wasn't on target for a PB I could still get a course PB if I kept the pace up!.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*)
As I had my name splattered over the front of my vest I was surrounded by spectators spurring me on by shouting my name! I hadn't realised that one of them was my husband until the last minute!
I could see the finishing arch in the distance and tried to put one last burst on!
I was delighted to finish after a thoroughly enjoyable race and although I didn't pace it as I had planned I seemed to pace it well and finished feeling good!
I stopped my Garmin and was pleased to see I had indeed managed to get a course PB finishing in 1:57:37.
Beating my previous GNR times of 1.59.46 and 2.21.49!
My Garmin stats can be seen here! The official time was 3 seconds faster at 1.57.34!
I had my timing chip removed by a friendly Marshall then made my way to collect a bottle of water and a goody bag containing a T shirt and the all important bling as well as a Lucozade drink, some sweets and a oat bar!
I slowly made my way through the crowds and had to queue to get into the family reunion area! Eventually I made it to the place I had arranged to meet my husband and we found a nice quiet piece of grass in the sun to relax in.
At this point I was starving and devoured a sausage roll and a bag of crisps, followed by a chocolate bar!
What better way to refuel? Whilst we were eating lunch the one millionth finisher crossed the line! How exciting it must have been for her!
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable race, with a brilliant atmosphere which was well organised.
My only complaint would be the cost of the official photos. I think £17.99 for ONE digital download is a total rip off! It's a good job I took my own photographer with me! He got some great photo's of Mo Farah too!
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| Click to enlarge! |
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I Had announced before this race that this was my third and final Great North Run! It is a very expensive race to enter and having run it 3 times I felt like I had "done" it! However, after having such a great day and loving every minute I am desperate to run it again!
I will have to let the ballot decide!
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