Great North Run sees millionth finisher, Farah breaks road slump

Tracey Cramond
Photo: GNR

Sunday’s Great North Run, the second-largest half-marathon in the world, was held Sunday in South Shields, U.K., and, after 33 years of being held, saw the race’s millionth finisher.

Tracey Cramond, a 51-year-old grandmother, crossed the line without knowing she had made history at the already historic race, finishing in 3:22, to mark the first occasion a road race has seen a million finishers over its lifetime.

“I am absolutely shocked it was me. I can’t believe it.” Cramond told the Daily Mirror. “I would never have woken up this morning to think that I even had a chance of being the millionth finisher.

“I am so proud to represent the people of the Great North Run. It hasn’t sunk in yet but I am completely honoured.”

The Great North Run this year saw 57,000 entrants and was expected to raise an impressive $440 million for charities. It’s a storied race which is hugely popular in England both for raising huge sums of charity dollars and also producing some of the fastest elite results in the world each year. The race was started in 1981.

The elite race also saw Mo Farah break a road race slump, winning the men’s race in a narrow victory after a finishing sprint, becoming the first British man to win the event since 1985. Last year he was out-kicked in the final metres by Kenenisa Bekele, an Ethiopian who, like Farah, has won double-Gold medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Olympics.

Paula Radcliffe’s course record was also broken by Mary Kietany, racing to a 65:39.

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