Indra's blog; About Finishing the Famous Great North Run

Indra's blog; About Finishing the Famous Great North Run

After a long time training the long awaited day was there. I was going to run my first Half Marathon in the great company of 59,999 others. And what an adventure it was!

The day started early as I was allowed to catch a ride with the bus that carried the team of Berwick Cancer Cars. They were all in good spirits and let me tag along with them, which was so nice!

When we arrived it was a long wait before we could go to our starting zone. Because there are so many runners, we were starting in waves and ours did not start until 12.00 hours.

It was nice to see some familiar faces and being able to have a little chat here and there. The excitement was building in the crowd while we stood there for a good 2 hours. If we had not been so geared up to go we would have been tired already from all the standing around.

While walking to the start line, we saw the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Acrobatic Team, flying by and performing an aerial display, which was amazing. They returned later for some more acrobatics.

Straight from the start I had to make several pit stops. It turned out I didn't actually need to, but the nerves definitely got to me, being worried I would not get a chance where there were no loos and I certainly lost some time "sitting around".

It is just indescribable how the support was from all the people cheering. Before the run seasoned runners would tell me: 'The crowd will lift you. It doesn't matter if you have not practiced the whole distance, they got you.' And I would not really understand how. But honestly, the people were amazing. They line the whole 13.1 mile. Young and old. There are no words to describe how they actually cheer you on: there is music, there is singing, there are so so so many supporters handing out all sorts to keep you going, from orange parts to ice lollies and from simple water bottles to all the sweeties you can imagine. No gain to them, just being there and cheering on all these strangers, a lot running for great causes. It was so so up lifting. No matter how tired I got, and I did, no matter how much the muscles tightened up, and they did, the crowd got me.

There are a lot of signs to keep you going. From the big screens at the start line that shout 'GET GANNIN' and 'ONLY 13.1 MILES TO GO' to a banner on a bridge with 'Will it be easy? NOPE... worth it? ABSOLUTELY!' But nothing can beat the signs that the supporters are holding. I can only imagine how tiring that must be. It is hours of runners passing them and by the time I passed, and trust me I was not fast at all, there was still so much enthusiasm. Lots of funny lines, that do make you laugh. Just like the people that are running in fancy dress...

One sign that kept coming back was the 'Tap here to power up" Mario Bros sign with often a +1 mushroom. In the beginning I just smiled, but by the end I could use all the energy I could get and I was tapping signs left, right and centre.

I finished in 2 hours 53 min, well under the 3 hours that I was aiming for (and got to 39,299th place). However, it was never about my placement or a time really, but about getting there and doing it for these great causes and ultimately for myself. The finish was such a strong moment. When all your energy, all your hard work, just everything comes together, I did get a bit emotional. I guess it's a bit like how some of our patients feel, when they get to the end of a long or intense treatment journey and they finally get to their finish line.

I proudly received my GNR 2025 medal, which turned out to cause a bit of controversy as the river Wear was on there in stead of the river Tyne. I finished just before the skies turned absolutely dark and a strong wind came on. I managed to hide in the Sick Children's Trust marquee in the Charity Village and got spoiled there with some hot soup and drinks. Later on, I (finally) found the bus that brought us back to Berwick, then straight home to a well-deserved hot epsom salt bath.

As you might have read in one of my previous blogs it all started with wanting to tick some things off my bucket list: Getting fit again, Doing the Great North Run once in my life time and Giving Back to those who were there when we needed it most. If you want to read more about that last one, you can do so here: https://ajbellgreatnorthrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/indra-rampersad

I would like to thank everybody who supported me in my running journey of getting over the finish line of the largest Half Marathon in the world! For all the kind words, the tips and tricks, the cheers and giving me the confidence to take this on.

An extra big thanks to those who helped me raise an amazing amount for these fantastic charities that are so close to the hearts of my family and those of many others in North East Northumberland and the Scottish Borders.

It has been a great adventure with a fantastic outcome: I raised £1125 online for the Sick Children's Trust and £365 off line for the Tiny Lives Trust. I could not be more proud and grateful! THANK YOU.

Indra x