Great North Run, 8th September 2024
If I had to sum up this year’s Great North Run in one word, it would be “wet”! Unlike the unseasonably hot day last year, we woke to mist, low cloud and general murk. It was certainly a better temperature for running in, but, as the rain came down shortly after the start of the mass race, it wasn’t the best for waiting around before (especially for those in the later waves) and for getting away afterwards.
Despite the weather, the North East public were once again out in force to provide support and encouragement to the runners, and the rain did little to dampen the spirits of both spectators and participants alike. Despite running for most of the route in sodden socks and trainers, with wet numbers stuck to their chests, there were some great performances from the over 30 strong Claremont contingent, including 6 who ran under 90 minutes (7 if we include 2nd claim member Jack Shawcross, who ran a fantastic 1:18:07). However, the most impressive performances are not always the fastest, so here are a few that caught my eye:
- Very impressive pacing from David Lydall and Nina Jensen who paced their allotted times to perfection.
- A sub 1:40 for Mungai Wairia in his first GNR as a 70 year old. Mungai was 4th in his age category. There were also top 5 age group places for Sarah Kerr (4th), Tom Tinsley (5th) and Joyce Archibold (5th, but see below).
- Gutsy runs from a number of sky blues whose pre-run training had been severely curtailed by injury:
- Lynne Cornell still clocked sub-2 hours, despite only recently recovering from a stress fracture (see below for Lynne’s own report.)
- Lena Lou who had struggled up to 10K beforehand and was unsure that she would make it to the South Tyneside coast!
- LIz Denyer for whom it was a “painful second half” but she was “glad to finish”.
- An impressive PB as a mother for Catherine Young, despite partaking of the beer on offer from the Hash House Harriers between miles 10 and 11.
- While not really a surprise Aoife Monaghan knocked nearly 30 minutes off her previous run. Another fast improver, Holly Porter, ran very well and now has a nice target of knocking just 15 seconds off her time next year.
- Last but definitely not least, the inspirational Joyce Archibold – still going strong at 88 years young (89 this week). As above, Joyce was 5th in her age group, but I am sure that is only because they stop the age categories too early! And to think that the BBC interviewed a mere 77 year old on TV to demonstrate that age is just a number – you show ’em, Joyce.
Lynne Cornell says:
“A very different run for me this year but I really enjoyed it. Stress fracture in left foot had meant virtually no training then pulling a muscle in my back 5 days before the run didn’t help much either (!) so I just thought give it a go and see how you get on. So with butterfly wings and tutu in place I started. Just ran my own run, didn’t look at the watch and enjoyed taking in the atmosphere.
Hopefully next year goes a bit more according to plan. I might even include some running in the training!”
| Position | Runner | Time |
| 331 | Mark Anderson | 1:20:38 |
| 718 | Roberto Marzo | 1:25:24 |
| 852 | Anton Mirafsari | 1:26:33 |
| 873 | Simon Lowe | 1:26:38 |
| 919 | Sarah Kerr | 1:26:58 |
| 1424 | Eric Adams | 1:29:55 |
| 2181 | Tom Tinsley | 1:33:38 |
| 3396 | Heather Steel | 1:38:04 |
| 3643 | Mungai Wairia | 1:38:45 |
| 3853 | Catherine Young | 1:39:17 |
| 4178 | Holly Porter | 1:40:15 |
| 5322 | Sonja Fenske | 1:43:05 |
| 6234 | Arthur Liu | 1:46:51 |
| 6519 | Dean O’Brien | 1:45:32 |
| 7116 | Aaron Mansell | 1:46:51 |
| 7989 | Aoife Monaghan | 1:48:41 |
| 8120 | Daniel Orlopp | 1:48:55 |
| 11493 | David Lydall | 1:54:41 (1:55 pacer) |
| 12573 | Brian Hegarty | 1:56:16 |
| 12921 | Lynne Cornell | 1:56:47 |
| 15115 | Liz Denyer | 1:59:47 |
| 16601 | Lucy Ward | 2:02:16 |
| 18614 | David Devennie | 2:05:40 |
| 20431 | Sophie Richardson | 2:08:37 |
| 21709 | Luke Woodend | 2:10:46 |
| 22286 | Eddie Smith | 2:11:47 |
| 29474 | NIna Jensen | 2:24:35 (2:25 pacer) |
| ? | Sophie Ellam | 2:25:57 |
| 31275 | Cate Walker | 2:28:19 |
| 32161 | Ann Smith | 2:30:05 |
| 38153 | Elizabeth O’Mahony | 2:46:45 |
| 39241 | Joyce Archibold | 2:50:53 |
| 39816 | Lena Lou | 2:53:10 |
Our runners weren’t the only ones putting the Great in Great North Run. Our contingent of 12 volunteers had an early start (on site for 7:30am) – then stood out in the rain helping make the day go smoothly – welcoming visitors, directing lost souls and handing out safety pins amongst other duties. So massive kudos to:
| Alexia O’Rourke Cath Robson Chris Jones Elaine Wharton Gill Milne Jenny Roberts | Julie Dumpleton Kenny McCormick Kim Collings Niamh Garratt Paul Jameson Sue McCartney |
