Simplyhealth Great North Run

The start of the Great North Run

A 23-strong Morpeth Harriers contingent were among the 57,000 participants in the Simplyhealth Great North Run which was won for a sixth successive year by Sir Mo Farah on Sunday 8th September 2019.

The half marathon took place in warm and still conditions beneath a near
cloudless sky on the famous 13.1-mile route from Newcastle to South Shields.

The weather ensured a terrific turnout of spectators along the course
and plenty of support for those wearing the blue and white Morpeth vests.

Morpeth’s first finisher was Andrew Hebden who secured a personal best GNR result of 1hr 19mins 12secs to finish 180th overall and 21st in the V40-44 category. His time was 24secs faster than his previous best on the course which he set back in 2014.

Following him home was Adam Cooper (1.21.14) who finished in 244th place and 138th in the 20-34 age category.
In third place for the club was Shaun Land who recorded an impressive time of 1.22.06 (284th place)
on his half marathon debut.

Morpeth’s first female finisher was Jennifer Belton in a time of 1.45.37,
a position of 72nd female in the V40-44 category and 4,230th place overall.

Mo Farah, 36, finished in 59 minutes seven seconds after racing ahead of Ethiopian Tamirat Tola in the final mile.
Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, who won the London Marathon in April,
set a new half marathon world best to take the women’s race in 1:04:28.
​
David Weir won his eighth wheelchair title, with Jade Jones-Hall making it a British double in the women’s race.

Andrew Hebden in action during the 2019 Great North Run (photo courtesy of Lorna Macdonald)

The full list of Morpeth Harriers finishers was:
Andrew Hebden 
(180)                  01:19:12
Adam Cooper     
(244)                  01:21:14
Shaun Land                 
(284)                  01:22:06
Tony Lewis                 
(387)                  01:24:10
Matthew Boyle             
(429)                  01:24:51
David Swinburne         
(440)                 01:25:05
Paul Banks                  
(523)                  01:26:14
James Johnson           
(684)                  01:28:11
Kris White                    
(695)                  01:28:17
Paul Bell                         
(857)                  01:29:57
Eric Adams                  
(1553)                01:35:05
Gary Mason                 
(1597)                01:35:24
Paul Willis                   
(1629)                01:35:39
Lewis Eke                    
(2651)                01:40:01
Paul Bellingham             
(2750)               01:40:28
Jennifer Belton             
(4230)                01:45:37
Amy Thornton             
(4857)                01:47:27
Jilly Bell                          
(5194)                01:48:21
Lesley Chapman            
(7697)                01:54:11
Simon Eaton               
(9799)                01:57:57
Jenny Glossop             
(13288)              02:04:23
Henrik Paulsen            
(15319)              02:08:03
Josephine Goodfellow  
​(40513)              03:19:19