Who are your Great North Run heroes?

Mar 23 2010 by Robert Weatherall, The Journal

UNSUNG heroes of the Great North Run are to get their moment in the spotlight, thanks to readers of The Journal.

Each year in the build-up to the big race Great North Run organisers hold a Hall of Fame charity dinner where they honour the famous names and those behind the scenes who have helped to make the event the worlds biggest half marathon.

And now readers of The Journal are to decide who should be honoured this year.

While famous names such as Tanni Grey Thompson, Jimmy Savile and Mike Neville have all been invited into the Hall of Fame, organisers say they still need your nominations for the BUPA Great North Run Award, in association with The Journal.

David Hart, communications director at run organisers Nova International, said: The Great North Run is an event which is seen all over the world and is a great advertisement for the North.

While on the day the live TV cameras may focus on the elite front runners, we all know that what makes the event possible and special are the people who volunteer their time to help out on the day and also those people who have special reasons for running.

The Journal has been on board with the Great North Run since the very first race. Now that we are approaching our 30th race we think it only right that we ask Journal readers to tell us of someone they know of who they think should be honoured.

The Hall of Fame has for years now been a way to celebrate the human stories that inspire thousands of runners.

Mum Rhonda Crosby, 39, of Polwarth Road, Gosforth, was entered into the Hall of Fame after running in memory of her father.

She lost her dad to cancer in the previous year and then her mother was diagnosed with the disease.

Last years winner was County Durham man George Nicholson. The 61-year-old from Shadforth, between Durham and Peterlee, has taken part in every Great North Run since the event was launched.

That achievement was all the more remarkable considering Mr Nicholson had to battle against MRSA and surgery in some years to make it to the start line.

This years event will once again be held at the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton Hotel as part of a star-studded ceremony.

A shortlist of three nominees will be selected and the award will be presented at the dinner next month by The Journals editor Brian Aitken.

He said: Phillip Crawley was the editor of The Journal in 1981 during the first race and he started a tradition of supporting the event which I am honoured to continue. We are very proud to be associated with this event, and want to highlight the people who make the event what it is.

There could be any number of reasons to nominate someone for the award. It might be that someone has overcome great adversity to take part in the race or they may have taken part a number of times and raised a large amount of money for charity.

The awards ceremony will take place on April 13.

Nominate your own hero here or write to: Great North Run Award, The Journal Newsdesk, Thompson House, Groat Market, NE1 1ED.

For all our pictures and stories from previous Great North Runs, go to www.journallive.co.uk/greatnorthrun