Great North Run 2023
#TeamPercyHedley made us proud by running the Great North Run 2023, raising thousands to help us continue to enhance the lives of disabled children, young people, and adults across the North East.
The Great North Run is the largest and most iconic half marathon in the world, taking place annually each September. Participants run the 13.1 miles from Newcastle City Centre to South Shields, cheered on by the fantastic North East crowds lining the route along the way.
Our #TeamPercyHedley runners were exceptional during this year’s Great North Run, running through some record conditions, from blistering heat on the morning, to torrential downpours on the afternoon.
You can see a brief roundup of the day below:
Inspirational Stories
Each of our #TeamPercyHedley runners had their own personal reasons for running, but one story that struck a chord was Jodi and Toby’s.
Toby, who is a student at Percy Hedley School, and his family signed up to an organisation called I Run For, where people can run for a nominated person who may not have the ability to run themselves. Jodi Gilmour from Chicago, America, signed up to be Toby’s runner and through the last few year’s has been undergoing races on Toby’s behalf. This year she travelled to the UK to do her first ever Great North Run and to meet Toby and his family for the very first time.
Their story caught the attention of the media; they were featured on BBC Look North and ITV News, and got the chance to attend the Great North Run Conference, meeting Mo Farah.
Mo Farah made the Great North Run 2023, his final competitive marathon, finishing fourth with a time of 1 hour and 3 minutes.
Thank you #TeamPercyHedley!
All of our runners did such an amazing job and we can not be more proud.
They ran through the sun and the storms, some of them even dressing in purple glitter, or inflatable unicorn costumes!
Back at the tent they enjoyed a variety of food to recharge, all thanks to our supporters:
- All Weather Windows for providing chocolate bars, energy bars and alcohol.
- City Fresh for providing a variety of fruit.
- Greggs for providing some delicious cookies and donuts.
- KP Snacks for providing us with a variety of crisps.
- One Stop for providing us with coke.
Also thank you to our wonderful volunteer physio’s who provided some excellent massages, and to all of our volunteers who helped throughout the day. Most importantly, thank you to our runners!
See what our runners thought when they got back to the tent:
Our vision is ‘Inspire, Believe, Achieve’ and our amazing #TeamPercyHedley runners did just that when they took on this amazing challenge, raising thousands to help us continue to enhance the lives of disabled children, young people, and adults across the North East.
For 70 years, Percy Hedley has been the leading expert in giving care, education, and support to disabled children across the region. With your help, we can continue to transform lives in the future.
You can see all the fun from the day in the gallery below:
Sign up for Great North Run 2024 now!
Do you fancy running for #TeamPercyHedley next year? You can sign up now with our Early Bird Offer for only £35, this is discounted from the standard price of £58. Don’t miss out.