GNR 2022 - listen and learn
The Great North Run, affectionately known as GNR, is the largest half marathon in the world which starts in Newcastle and ends by the coast in Southshields.
It is a meeting of runners from all over the UK. All with their own stories, journey, and goals. Reasons why they run, and why they run the GNR.
Regardless of the reason we all know it is an experience, one we will never forget.
As you would imagine there are endless opportunities to have chats, lots of little chats with fellow runners. An opportunity to share and learn.
Let’s meet some of the characters I met and what I learned:
There was a lady from Leicestershire who had only been running for the last two years, when she reached her 50s. She looked like a natural runner. Optimistically declaring how her current personal best of 1:50 minutes, a 30-minute improvement from her first half, could be beaten. Was GNR the run for a faster time? I will never know. She checked in with her husband and kids as she prepared for race day. I learned from her that age is all but a number, and we have the best years ahead of us, if we keep ourselves fit and healthy.
Now let’s introduce the lady who ran everywhere. First, she volunteered on race day as part of St. Johns Ambulance and now she runs all the events. She casually explained, ‘I only train for 4 to 5 weeks for half marathons’. Weeks ago she stubbed her toe which had impacted her minimal training. She started to list the marathons she ran and lit up when she shared stories of running New York. The energy from the crowd, and the atmosphere, sounds unreal. She finally ran New York after having to push back her entry when she broke her arm. Stubbed toe, broken arm, she seemed to take it all in her stride as she shrugged off when she told me her time was 2hr 20 mins. She’s motivated me to add New York marathon onto my list of stuff to experience in my lifetime.
The Irish girl and I had some history. It was nice to see her again so we could recap. Last year she was struggling with a back injury and wasn’t sure how she would finish. She explained she finished in three hours after a run, walk, and lying on the ground to stretch out her back routine. Her message through her share - Keep going, you will always get to the finish line. When I asked what the Geordies thought of her lying on the ground, she just smiled as if to say ‘I’m sure they’ve seen worse things’.
Now let’s get to race day at the start pen where I had some chitter chatter with a middle-aged local man. You could tell he was a regular on the running circuit and regularly supports impaired runners by acting as a guide runner. He also acts as a pacer at his local park run. Last year he ran without once looking at his watch, and this year left the house with no music. Neither intentional. As we both stood near the 1hr35min pacer, he said he was carrying a niggle and wasn’t sure how he would finish. His lesson to share is to enjoy what you love, and share that back. Be selfless in helping others achieve their goals.
Following the run, I shuffled onto a bus to take me back to Newcastle. As I took my seat on the top deck, the first row, I sat next to a local guy. We were very soon chatting away, sharing tales from his first half marathon and my 14th. He told a tale about running a 5km in under 20 minutes. As I became intrigued by his share, I asked “Did it hurt?”. He shrugged a little sheepishly and proclaimed, “not really, I knew I had it in me”. We chatted about the dreaded pain chamber, and how you need to get comfortable going there to achieve some big running goals. He shared how he listened to a Rich Roll podcast where an athlete explained how to manage the pain chamber, by visualizing yourself digging through to the end of the chamber like a miner. At the end lies the light, the finish line. What I learned from him, keep showing up and go for it – it will come!
As I arrived in Edinburgh and boarded the train to Glasgow, I spotted the guy at the table next to me looking at his medal in his hand. I saw this as my cue to shout over, “you finished the GNR today?”. We shared our experience of the run, which was very similar. A mutual agreement on the toughness of the course, the unexpected hills, and the energy-sapping conditions. He explained how he once ran a half marathon in tough conditions to cross the line in a slow time, to then weeks later run another race, in different conditions, to achieve a massive improvement in time. A tale to remind us that you win some, you lose some. To dust yourself off, and go again. Around the corner could be the performance you have been training for.
And that was GNR 2022. Forever grateful to having a beginners mind, ready to listen and learn.
‘If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.’ Shunryu Suzuki