VIVIAN CHERUIYOT was able to celebrate her 33rd birthday in style as her half-marathon debut saw her triumph in the Great North Run.

Cheruiyot, who won a 5,000m gold medal at last month’s Olympic Games as well as claiming a silver in the final of the 10,000m, was embroiled in a thrilling three-way battle with her fellow Kenyan, Priscah Jeptoo, and Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba.

Jeptoo, who won the Great North Run in 2013, kicked for home with around a kilometre to go, but Cheruiyot’s superior finishing speed was always likely to prove crucial, and she eventually pulled clear to win by a second in a time of 1:07.54.

“I was so nervous before the start,” said Cheruiyot, who will compete in the 10,000m at next year’s World Championships in London before stepping up to the marathon. “I was standing at the start just thinking, ‘I hope I’m going to finish’.

“It was my first time in the half-marathon, and I was a little bit scared because you never really know what’s going to happen.

“It was good to run against Priscah and Tirunesh, and I’m so happy with the way things happened. I’m so happy my first half-marathon went so well for me.  It’s great to win, and especially because it’s my birthday.”

Jeptoo’s second-place finish confirms her status as one of the world’s leading distance runners, with Dibaba finishing third, the same position she filled in the final of the 10,000m in Rio.

Charlotte Purdue was the leading British finisher in the women’s race, coming sixth in a time of 1:12.13, with Gemma Steel finishing two places behind her in eighth position.

Sunderland Stroller Alyson Dixon was the fastest North-East runner, finishing 12th in a time of 1:16.31, with Birtley AC’s Tracy Millmore coming two places further back as she ran 1:20.30.

The leading North-East finisher in the men’s race was Morpeth Harrier Ian Hudspith, who came in 15th as he recorded a time of 1:06.52.

New Marske Harrier Dominic Shaw was a place further back in 16th position, with Saltwell Harriers’ Abreham Tewelde and another New Marske runner, Russ Best, also finishing in the top 25.

There was a British 1-2-3 in the elite wheelchair race, with Mark Telford out-sprinting Bret Crossley in a thrilling finish that saw him triumph by less than a second. Callum Hall finished in third position, in a race that was lacking a number of star names because of the ongoing Paralympic Games in Rio.