# The Great North Run



## Rocket Romano (Sep 14, 2005)

The worlds biggest half marathon is this Sunday

Places were filled up moons ago but you can catch all the fun on BBC 1, Five Live and the fun run highlights package on ITV Tyne Tees later on

All together now

dum dum...dum dum dum dum dum...der der der duh duh duh, dum dum dum

Don't ya recognise local hero?!


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## HarrisonSlade (Sep 18, 2005)

For all those foreign runners who do not know of Newcastle, please keep your possesions safe and secure and be on the look out for anyone who utters the words "WayAye man". Stick close to anyone not Northern (apart from those uttering the words "Oo Arrrr") especially if they are gay, black or have long hair, as they are sure to ha ve the living shit beaten out of them first.

Please take care, and thank you for listening to this Public Safety announcement.


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## blackadder (Sep 18, 2005)

Four men died today whilst taking part in this half marathon.    I'll stick to walking for now.


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## Reg Perrin (Sep 18, 2005)

blackadder said:
			
		

> Four men died today whilst taking part in this half marathon.    I'll stick to walking for now.




And the race is only in Newcastle for about a mile.


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## belboid (Sep 19, 2005)

blackadder said:
			
		

> Four men died today whilst taking part in this half marathon.    I'll stick to walking for now.


shame one of them wasn't Harrison Slade really.


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## Rocket Romano (Sep 19, 2005)

HarrisonSlade said:
			
		

> For all those foreign runners who do not know of Newcastle, please keep your possesions safe and secure and be on the look out for anyone who utters the words "WayAye man". Stick close to anyone not Northern (apart from those uttering the words "Oo Arrrr") especially if they are gay, black or have long hair, as they are sure to ha ve the living shit beaten out of them first.
> 
> Please take care, and thank you for listening to this Public Safety announcement.




Wow, you really are a prick.

Don't you have elsewhere to troll or is everybody ignoring you in the other forums.

Do the run next year...and I'll be delighted when its one dead

you


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## AnMarie (Sep 19, 2005)

Terrible shame about the guys that died  When I was watching it-time and again competitors commented about how hot it was-maybe something will be learned from the tradegy eg vetting people taking part or not allowing people to run heavily clothed in animal suits etc.

As for Newcastle and Geordies- love em both! Its defo one of my fav places in the country n Ive always found the people friendly. I love visiting there!


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## mrkikiet (Sep 20, 2005)

AnMarie said:
			
		

> -maybe something will be learned from the tradegy eg vetting people taking part or not allowing people to run heavily clothed in animal suits etc.


this would be completely against the ethos of the great north run though.
It's tragic, but people have to be aware of their own limitations in situations like this, there is only so much the organisers can do.


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## Pieface (Sep 20, 2005)

my mum did it!  In about 3 hours but she really enjoyed herself and she did it secretly too, never told any of us she was planning to   

The deaths were a shock this year - they've lost people before but never this many.  2 post mortems in are showing natural causes and 2 more happening on thursday I believe.

It's very sad for everyone - the families and the organisers.  It was the 25th anniversary of the event this year and they had put a lot into it - art exhibitions and stuff being commissioned for a week of events.  But it's distance running and a massive event. Statistically speaking, 50k runners doing a half marathon you're going to have problems every year but this is a freak I think.  They have them warm places all over the world and people don't keep dropping dead.


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## Dubversion (Sep 20, 2005)

HarrisonSlade said:
			
		

> For all those foreign runners who do not know of Newcastle, please keep your possesions safe and secure and be on the look out for anyone who utters the words "WayAye man". Stick close to anyone not Northern (apart from those uttering the words "Oo Arrrr") especially if they are gay, black or have long hair, as they are sure to ha ve the living shit beaten out of them first.
> 
> Please take care, and thank you for listening to this Public Safety announcement.



you odious fucking prick.


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## wiskey (Sep 20, 2005)

PieEye said:
			
		

> . Statistically speaking, 50k runners doing a half marathon you're going to have problems every year but this is a freak I think.  They have them warm places all over the world and people don't keep dropping dead.



a classmate of my friend walked out onto a rugby pitch in australia aged 18 and dropped dead from a congenital heart defect. it would be unfair to say rugby killed him, it was just what he was doing at the time. 

if you have something like that and do something that excerts you it may be the thing that pushes you over the edge. 

well done to yer mum though


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## Pieface (Sep 20, 2005)

yeah she troops like a troopie thing


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## Dubversion (Sep 20, 2005)

PieEye said:
			
		

> yeah she troops like a troopie thing




whereas you droop like a droopie thing.


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## wiskey (Sep 20, 2005)

should you not be out on the piss or something!


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## Pieface (Sep 20, 2005)

wiskey said:
			
		

> should you not be out on the piss or something!






			
				dubversion said:
			
		

> whereas you droop like a droopie thing.



hmmmmm.


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## Dubversion (Sep 20, 2005)

wiskey said:
			
		

> should you not be out on the piss or something!




i'm at fucking work


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## killer b (Sep 20, 2005)

Dubversion said:
			
		

> i'm at fucking work


me too. till 9!


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## kea (Sep 20, 2005)

i don't get it, is 18 degrees C really that hot? what is there i don't understand here, someone?


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## Pieface (Sep 20, 2005)

It's not crazy hot - it's crazy hot for the North East at this time of year.


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## kea (Sep 20, 2005)

PieEye said:
			
		

> for the North East at this time of year.



yeah i figured that maybe. but i still don't get why it affected the runners so much. i mean, it's not like they trained for a specific climate like olympic runners do ...


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## AnMarie (Sep 20, 2005)

There have been claims that there wasnt enough water and that no water was provided at the start

Heres a couple of quotes from people on Runners World Forum 



> Im livid, my friend heard Brendan Foster on the radio this morning saying that there were rumours that they ran out of water this year which he says isn't true. What rubbish! I was there at the second water station when there was no water and Im no liar!! There weren't even any organisers around to tell us if more water was coming, it was left to some local residents saying we've told them to get more. Grrr.... totally reckless





> The lack of water at the start startled me. I (foolishly) relied on the fact that there was some last year. Hence I got bit nervous, had a walk around to get some to no avail. Eventually I asked a kind bloke from Edinburgh for some of his and he obliged which settled me down



The sister of the 28 year old guy who died has been quoted as saying an ambulance took 45 mins to turn up-way to late 

In the previous 24 GNR's 8 people died-in 2005 something seems to have gone wrong


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## kea (Sep 20, 2005)

has it got a lot bigger this year or summat?


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## AnMarie (Sep 20, 2005)

That I dont know kea- I watched the whole thing on TV this because Ive travelled alot to Newcastle in the last year but Im not very familair with the race in previous years.

I was in Newcastle the week before the run-it was very warm-lovely for a stroll by the Tyne but not I would guess, pleasant for a run.


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## Pieface (Sep 20, 2005)

AnMarie said:
			
		

> In the previous 24 GNR's 8 people died-in 2005 something seems to have gone wrong



Let's see what the final post mortems come back with.

First 2 were natural causes and if they've been organising it for 25yrs I imagine they won't have randomly decided to reduce the amount of water available when the size of the field increases most years.

Water is needed on the course, during the race when people are actually sweating - I'm not sure it was ever provided at the start.


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## AnMarie (Sep 20, 2005)

True Pie Eye- no doubt there will be an investigation and hopefully any failings will be sorted out for the future.


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## Rocket Romano (Sep 20, 2005)

The North East ambulance service said they had 8 ambulances in attendance for the 50,000 runners

It was warm for the time of the year, earlier on in the week the weather had been rubbish.

I saw a guy running as the Angel of the North, he surely can't have trained properly. I understand the novelty factor

Also...on a more annoying note, only one bridge into Newcastle was open on Sunday resulting in utter chaos and Northumbria Nazi Police Force decided that the Metro should be limited to event staff and runners only


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## Pieface (Sep 21, 2005)

Rocket Romano said:
			
		

> I saw a guy running as the Angel of the North, he surely can't have trained properly.



how on earth would you know this?

Wearing a costume doesn't automatically mean you don't train because you are a wacky customer that does crazy things like not train for a half marathon.

Unless you're being tongue in cheek - I can't really tell tbh.

Anyway - interesting point raised in the paper yesterday that less folk die in full marathons because people are more likely to respect that distance and not try and muddle through without training.


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## Rocket Romano (Sep 21, 2005)

Your seriously going to tell me that every novelty runner did at least 13 miles of training dressed in the full costume and prepared for every eventuality

Anyway, the coroner announced that 52 year Deputy Head Teacher from Consett and the 28 year old from Leeds both died from natural causes


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## Pieface (Sep 21, 2005)

No - just as you're not seriously going to tell me that they didn't do do any at all.  Just because that bloke was in costume doesn't mean he didn't prepare.


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## FruitandNut (Sep 27, 2005)

My eldest son ran with the 'Angel of the North' guy for a while, he said the guy was fit and the outfit he wore had a substantial frame made of wicker work.

He ran with an older guy for a while who used to be in the Royal Engineers, they chatted for a while and the guy told my son this funny tale.

Apparently he is one of the older members of a group of friends who frequent a particular pub.    The group decided on doing a sponsored sky dive, but had to break the bad news to this guy that being just over 50 he wouldn't be allowed on the training course or the drop.    He feigned disappointment and suggested he would probably bottle out anyway because he didn't like heights.

Anyway the club went off to do their training and this guy phoned up the enterprise involved and asked if there was a chance of a jump.    The chap at the other end of the phone said the problem was that he was over 50 and with no experience.    At this he quietly mentioned that he had been attached to the Paras for over 20yrs and had done drops from about 25,000ft to 200ft and he would be happy to take along his log books to prove it, but could things be kept quite from his mates as they didn't know.

On the big day of the free fall jump, he tagged along with the rest saying he wanted to see the jump from the ground.     He walked over to the aircraft with them and the guy in charge of the jump gave him the nod and suggest that he went up with the others and watch the jump from the air.   He pretended to be hesitant and then agreed.   As they got in, the instructor told him he had better put a chute on 'just in case'.    About a couple of miles from their jump point this guy 'hesitantly' moved near one side of the open door and looked out.  The instructor then feigned a stumble and touched the guys back.   At this point the guy lets out a yell and 'falls' through the doorway.    There are horrified gasps as the others look to see if a parachute opens, the instructor appears unconcerned, saying he had a parachute anyway.   One of them pointed out that he hadn't been given instructions, the instructor shrugs a bit and mumbles something about insurance.

At this moment the aircraft banks around and they lose sight of the plummeting figure.   The instructor then tells them it is time for their jump, so the others chattering and shaking their heads in disbelief leap out.    Later on in the car park they see their old mate all in one piece and looking composed.  It is only at this point that he lets them in on things.    He said he had to treat them all to a few drinks to get them to forgive him.


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## sleaterkinney (Sep 27, 2005)

Rocket Romano said:
			
		

> Your seriously going to tell me that every novelty runner did at least 13 miles of training dressed in the full costume and prepared for every eventuality


Having being passed by rhinos, bananas etc on runs I would say the chances are strong that they did. ime I haven't seen many novelty runners struggling.

I'd say it was the heat on that day that did it.


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## Roadkill (Sep 27, 2005)

AnMarie said:
			
		

> When I was watching it-time and again competitors commented about how hot it was-maybe something will be learned from the tradegy eg vetting people taking part or not allowing people to run heavily clothed in animal suits etc.



Their choice to do it.  Presumably they'll have been made aware of the risks, so if they still choose to do it, it's up to them.  Same with the co-driver who was killed on Rally GB the same day: he knew his sport was dangerous and wanted to do it anyway.  

You can't stop people doing things because there's risk involved, and IMO you shouldn't try.  We're too risk-averse a society as it is, I think.  All you can do is make sure that everyone involved in a potentially dangerous sport is aware of the risks and takes all possible steps to minimise them.  Beyond that, they're on their own.


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## Hollis (Sep 28, 2005)

I think it might be just a statistical anomaly.. there's load of unfit people out doing fun runs, races every weekend, on the London marathon I'm sure there's thousands who do fuck all training.  Maybe the weather made it worse but it wasn't _that_ hot.


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