One of my favourite events of the year is nearly upon us again. The 28th edition of the Great North Run gets under way this Sunday morning and if you’re not participating you can watch the event unfold on BBC television, with coverage starting from 09:30.

The Great North Run is the world’s biggest half marathon boasting some 50,000+ entrants. For those of you who have participated in this event before you’ll know what I mean when I say the start area is just manic. With so many people buzzing about the area, whether meeting up with other runners, dropping bags off on the baggage buses, or just trying to get to a toilet, the place goes absolutely crazy with people.

The atmosphere is second to none. For me, this is my 6th time participating since 1998 (albeit sometimes under different names!!) and every year the atmosphere throughout the entire event, from start line to finish seems to get better and better. If it’s not the warm up on the start line from some celebrity fitness person, it’s the bands playing on just about every roundabout of the 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields.

It really is an amazing experience, especially when you’re running over the Tyne Bridge and the Red Arrows go flying over head. I always feel that ‘moment of pride’ feeling, you know the one where you think ‘this is what it’s all about’, brilliant!!

I’m starting in Zone B, race number 1826, which is directly behind the ‘elite’ runners, there’s no pressure to perform there then!! The start area goes back a staggering 1Km, from zones A to K. This year Triple Olympic cycling gold medallist from Beijing, Chris Hoy, will be joined by double swimming gold medallist Rebecca Adlington and arguably the greatest distance runner in history, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia. Paralympics heroine, Ellie Simmons, winner of two swimming golds, will also be on hand to set us all off on our way.

There’s also a whole host of other events taking place over the weekend. On Saturday there’s the Mini & Junior Great North Run’s, as well as some elite events over 1 & 3 miles around Newcastle Quayside area, not to mention the massive ‘Fitness Expo’ in the nearby ‘Metro Arena’. The full listings of events can be found here.

My daughter and two nephews are taking part in the kids races on Saturday so it’ll be a fun packed Great North Run weekend all round.

Good luck to the kids and all those taking part in greatest half marathon ever. Hopefully the gods will be kind and grace us with reasonable ‘North East’ running weather.

See you at the start line!!

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