By Jules Montgomery-McCullagh
Sunday 18 September 2011 had arrived. After months of training, getting up at 5.30am, trying to fit in runs before work/school runs and at weekends in between the children’s activities, it was the time for the biggest and most famous half marathon in the world, the Great North Run.
After travelling up to York on the Saturday and staying at a friend’s house, we were both up and out at 6am the next morning, ready for our big day. The train from York got incredibly crowded as the journey progressed, with some poor people getting turned away. Imagine all that training and not being able to get to the race!
We alighted in Newcastle to find a mass of faces of all ages, races, sexes (some more dubious than others) and sizes. We had a mad scramble to get to our section of the start, easier said than done when there are 53,000 runners amassed in one place. The atmosphere was dazzling, as was the weather at that point, with the sun shining through the clouds on the masses of people. There were lots of people in fancy dress of all types, dressed as animals, soldiers wearing full backpacks (mad), three Teletubbies wobbling along together and some rather buff rugby types wearing hula hula skirts, to name but a few.
The Red Arrows had a flyover to signal the beginning of the race, and we were off – or more accurately, the elite runners were off, at a sprint. I was allocated to ‘White Zone G’, as I’d put a completion time of 2 hours 10 minutes on my entry form. I had failed the first rule of competition running races – always lie about your time on the entry form. So we did a slow shuffle forwards and eventually crossed the start line a full 21 minutes after the race had begun. My time had officially started and my friend set off at blistering pace and I struggled to keep up with her. All of a sudden 13.1 miles seemed an awfully long way.
The first five miles seemed to last forever, a continuous uphill climb which was tough. I lost my friend in the melée, due to constantly looking around for a gap in the crowd, to move faster, and then down at the ground to make sure I didn’t fall over someone’s feet.
5 to 10 miles was quite enjoyable. I was running at a steady pace and enjoying watching what was going on all around me. I started to see the same people around me who were running at a similar pace. Then the rain started, which wouldn’t have been too bad, but I was wearing prescription sunglasses, which I couldn’t take off as I’m as blind as a bat.
At around 8 miles I spotted a guy who was holding a sign saying ‘2 hours’. My brain didn’t compute at first, but then I realised he was actually a pace maker and I was keeping up with him. I realised that I had a chance of completing the course in under two hours!
The route for the Great North Run starts in Newcastle, passes through Gateshead and then finishes by the sea in South Shields. For much of the route you are running on the ‘A’ roads near those cities, so you would think it’s not the nicest of views, BUT wow, the supporters were amazing. They were all cheering us on and if they saw anyone struggling, they cheered all the harder. My name was printed on my running top and total strangers were shouting, “Come on, Jules, you can do it!” Heartwarming stuff.
There were also bands playing along the route – from steel to rock – and cheering points, with representatives from the supported charities. I was running for CLIC Sargent and their cheers at 11.5 miles gave me a real boost. I needed it.
I was starting to feel tired and wondering how it was taking this long to finish. Then at 12 miles I passed a very senior looking Elvis Presley impersonator, giving a full rendition of ‘Teddy Bear’. It’s hard to laugh when you’re running and tired, but it did the job of spurring me on for the last push. Then, at 1 hour 52 minutes, my phone, which had Runkeeper (monitoring my time and speed) and importantly my music, died on me, so I had to run the last part of the race with nothing. Sign for 800 metres, then 400 metres and finally the finishing line was up ahead. Runners and spectators were shouting and the BBC TV cameras were filming as we made a final dash for the line and ……….I DID IT!!
After collecting my medal, getting a drink, snack and a lovely leg massage at the CLIC Sargent tent, I eventually found out my time – 1 hour and 56 minutes. I went around smiling like a Cheshire cat! Under two hours for my first half-marathon. Not bad.
So, my annual challenge is going well. Last year I raised £3,200 for CLIC Sargent doing a charity trek in China. This year I’ve raised about £320 for the same charity and hope to get more. So if you’re willing or able, please visit my sponsorship page – all donations are gratefully received. Many thanks, Jules.
Comments