Serpie Planner - event reports

Great North Run Half Marathon (18 Sep 2005)

What was supposed to have been a momentous occasion with this year staging of the 25th anniversary of the Great North Run; ended in the tragedy with the death of 4 competitors.

With hardly any breeze or shade & humidity up to 70%, it made conditions difficult & made the conditions warmer then the 19C recorded. I myself finished in & around 2000th place in a respectable time of 1:42 & was astonished by the sheer numbers of runners clearly in distress in the last mile or so.

The last thing I want to do is put you of this magnificent event, which in my opinion is well organized & runs ever so smoothly. The course is also quite undulating and is not as easy as it looks, but thoroughly enjoyable all the same. The support you receive from the spectators is spectacular, with a abundance of noise & encouragement all the way round, with as many oranges, bananas, sweets, ice pops, etc then you can eat.

Ok it is very expensive if you choose to participate in this race in the future, especially if you stay in Newcastle. However, a less expensive alternative is to stay in Durham (particularly the Castle), which happens to be only a short train ride to Newcastle Town Centre itself.

Report by Dean Wheeler.