At the Great North Run the amount of support from the onlookers was marvellous. You could hear the constant sound of spectators cheering you on, shouting words of encouragement, and calling your name as you ran past. Children had ‘power-up’ banners and also gave ‘high fives’. Jelly babies were being handed out all along the course for anyone. The generosity and kindness of the locals were in abundance as they came out in force to support everyone running.

There were plenty of refreshment stops throughout the route, in fact at every 2km or so. Endless amounts of drinking water were on offer. It was grab and move on as quickly as you could, due to the sheer volume of runners.

The course consisted of wide and long main roads, not particularly picturesque, but the crowd support made up for this. In the distance ahead, you could see a continuous river of runners.

If you want to race, I would say you want to be finished by the 2-hour mark to avoid the congestion of tiring runners. But whatever your pace is or how fast you run, enter. Soak in the atmosphere, it’s an experience like no other, and you will want to come back again for more.

The medal and goodybag was great one of the best I have had and full of goodies.

The Great North Run was a brilliant experience and a very well-organised event. There was a fantastic atmosphere with incredible support from the people of Newcastle who came out in force. I would definitely do it again!

You can read my full blog review at http://runiversityoflife.com/great-north-run-part-1/ and http://runiversityoflife.com/great-north-run-part-2/