Congratulations to our runners from the Melton borough who did the Great North Run

Runners from the Melton borough played their part too!

Here’s how they fared doing the gruelling 13.1 mile course on September 10.

Keen Melton runner Richard Angrave completed the distance, stopping the clock in two hours 25 minutes, a time that was Richard’s best for three years, but still 17 minutes shy of his personal best.

In a field of over 43,000 participants he finished 23,437th.

He said: “Anyone who has ever completed the Great North Run knows it’s simply the best half marathon in the world with first class organisation throughout the event.

“For the first few miles the thousands of spectators simply applaud all the runners, whilst in the second half of the race people with their names on their shirts receive encouraging shouts.

“The route was also lined with numerous rock bands on each roundabout and steel drum and other drum bands creating a great rhythm to run to and adding to the atmosphere.

“It’s perhaps a run to be enjoyed rather than searching for a personal best and I certainly did enjoy my second time doing it.”

Richard gained his place in the Great North Run via the Sunday Times ballot and chose to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society in memory of his mum who passed away in 2013, after an eight year battle with dementia.

He added: “At the start, 20 minutes before the race gets under way, everyone joins in with a workout and definitely enters the party atmosphere. There are giant video screens showing short documentaries and interviews with uplifting music to really pump runners up.

“When the elite runners were introduced, the noise from the crowd gradually increased until the introduction of Mo Farrah, when the noise was quite unbelievable such is the appreciation for Mo in the North East.”

Richard’s JustGiving page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-angrave1

Friends Anna Pollard from Somerby and Kizzy Hunt from Ashwell, united in their quest to do the Great North Run for Breast Cancer Now.

The pair ran in memory of Kim Pollard, Anna’s mum, who sadly lost her battle to secondary breast cancer 10 years ago in December.

Anna said: “The run was amazing. Quite emotional at times seeing people with guide runners and various disabilities still taking part.

“People’s vests with who and why they were running was also inspiring.

The crowd were incredible, cheering you on the whole way, handing out jelly babies, biscuits and Vaseline. I don’t think there was a part of the run where there wasn’t a crowd.”

The girls finished in a time of two hours 20 minutes which they were pleased with. In total they’ve raised about £1,100 with donations still coming in.

Ann added: “The first thing we did after finishing was go to the charity village and had a cup of tea and a massage.

“I would definitely do it all again to beat my time. Kizzy had already signed up for the Ikano Robin Hood Half Marathon, so she’ll be doing that this weekend.

“People can still sponsor us. We’ve had a few anonymous donations and we’d like to thank them, as well as our fantastic support team.”

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anna-pollard2017