South to The Great North...
Sunburn and sore muscles on my return from Newcastle, where I have been taking part in the world's biggest half marathon, The Great North Run.
Me and my mate Stewart were running as part of The Daffodil Team to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Our team mates included Countdown's Carol Voderman, Jake Wood from Eastenders and my ´óÏó´«Ã½ colleague, Bill Turnbill who had a terrific run.
If you are into athletics then the VIP area of the Great North Run is like going backstage at T In The Park. Within 1/2 an hour of arriving we had spotted half a dozen former Olympic athletes, including Scotland's legendary Liz McColgan...is it any wonder I was keeping quiet about my modest run!
Biggest story of the day was not winning, which made me feel a little bit sorry for Kara Goucher, the American athlete who will now be known as the woman who denied Paula victory in her comeback race. Kara is the Camilla Parker-Bowles of this story. The fairy tale ending had already been written and she's the other woman who came along and put a stop to it.
It would have been understandable, if after the race, Radcliffe had skulked off back to her hotel room to stew. Instead she was hanging out with us ( well not just with us!) looking amazing, posing for pictures, inspiring younger athletes and showing why she's been much missed in the past 18 months.
