Alan Shearer reflects on life-changing trip to Uganda

Mar 12 2008 by The Journal

Support Sport Relief

FANS are being encouraged to go to St James’s Park to give Shearer a rousing send off tomorrow as he leaves for his marathon bike ride.

Shearer and football pundit Adrian Chiles are due to leave the ground – waved off by Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan – at around 8.30am.

They will leave from the north west corner of the Sir John Hall stand and fans are asked to arrive at 8am.

The aim is to cycle 335 miles to the BBC’s Television Centre, in London, for Sport Relief.

Travelling via The Hawthorns ground in West Bromwich – Chiles is a West Brom fan – they will aim to arrive in west London no later than 7.30pm on Friday. It is anticipated they will travel 186 miles in their first day – 38 miles more than elite cyclists from the Tour de France embark on in a single day.

Finishing at midnight on Thursday, they will get up at 5am on Friday to make the deadline. It is hoped they will arrive in London just in time for Sport Relief’s big night of TV on Friday.

Alan has been sharpening his fitness for the big event. He has been training hard for the past 18 months.

Choose your distance

THE Sport Relief mile for the North East is being staged at Saltwell Park in Gateshead on Sunday. You can join Jonathan Edwards anytime from 9.30am on Sunday to run or simply enjoy the day’s entertainment, which include live bands and music.

This year there is the option to run one mile, three miles or six miles as part of Sport Relief’s "Rise to the Challenge" scheme. You can also run a mile at the following venues:

• The Shildon Sunnydale Leisure Centre mile at Shildon Sunnydale Leisure Centre, in Middridge Lane, Shildon, County Durham.

• The Peases West Sports Centre mile at Peases West, Crook, County Durham.

• The Durham City Aykley Heads mile at Aykley Heads Sports Complex, in Aykley Heads.

• The Ashington Hirst High School mile, in Lichfield Close, North Seaton, Ashington, Northumberland.

• The Gosforth Racecourse mile at Complete Fitness in Gosforth Park, Newcastle.

• The Stamfordham School mile at Stamfordham First School in Stamfordham, Newcastle.

• The South Tyneside mile, Handel Street, South Shields.

• The Stockton mile on the Teesdale Site in Thornaby.

• The Darlington mile in Parkside, Darlington.

To enter you can register by going to www.sportrelief.com by noon tomorrow. Any later and you can register on the day.