Charity runners gather to launch Great North 10k

The North-East’s biggest 10k running event will take place on Sunday, July 5, with up to 5,000 runners crossing the finish line on the track inside the

stadium.

Now in its seventh year, the 10k will once again take in iconic landmarks on the Quayside including Sage Gateshead, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary

Art and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

Every year about half the entrants in the event also take part in the Morrisons Great North Run, many of them using the 10k as a training run

ahead of the half marathon in September.

One of those runners is Nikki Dodds from Durham, who is running both events for St Benedict’s hospice in Ryhope, in memory of her uncle who lost his

two year battle with cancer in December.

She suffers from a rare condition called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), caused by increased pressure in fluid around the brain. The symptoms include severe headaches, dizziness, fatigue and in some cases loss of vision.

Now an ambassador for IIH UK charity, she said: “There is no known cause and therefore no known cure for the condition. The treatment options

available are limited, medication and shunts are used but these are not designed to treat the condition specifically.

“Having this condition has changed my life. I had to retire from playing rugby and have had several spells off-work due to the operations and the

symptoms of the condition. I then began to gain weight because of this.

“I first started running in 2012 to help recover from an operation, lose weight and regain my fitness. This was the first year I took part in the Morrisons Great North 10k Gateshead.

“I have now lost five stone, and this year my aim is to run the whole 10k, as I have never managed to do this in the past.”

Colin Plews from South Shields has raised more than £8,000 for Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, after his friend Janet was

diagnosed with the disease.

Known as the ‘Big Pink Dress’, he said: “I used to run in Gateshead International Stadium when I was kid so I’m excited about finishing here on the day.”

David Hart, communications director at The Great Run Company, said: “Since the first staging in 2007, the Morrisons Great North 10k Gateshead has

grown in status to the region’s biggest 10k run.

“We look forward to welcoming thousands of people to the start line in July, and whether they’re taking part for fundraising, fitness or fun, it will be a day to remember.”

Entries for the Morrisons Great North 10k Gateshead are open at www.greatrun.org/north10k