The Great North Run: A moment of personal pride in my family

MARTIN LEL might have won the Great North Run for the second time in three years but it was not his performance this time that I was really looking out for.

While the Kenyan's time of 59 minutes 32 seconds was undoubtedly impressive, my mam and my sister were also among a throng of 54,000 running the 13.1 miles between Newcastle and South Shields.

On an unseasonably warm September day, both found the going tough as the sun beat down on their weary bodies.

But, after overcoming the psychological barrier of 10 miles, they hung on and reached the final mile along the sea front.

It was the homecoming mile and the end not only to their race but what mam later called an "unforgettable experience".

For the record, my sister - running with work friends - finished in 2hrs 40minutes while my mam found participants of similar ability in the crowd to finish just under an hour further behind.

The times didn't really matter, though - certainly not to my mam, who achieved her stated aim of completing the Great North Run by the age of 50.

She turns 50 at the start of December and, having now done it once, she is proud enough of that fact and does not expect to participate in the event again.

My sister, at 23 years old, is a keen gym-goer but even she has no desire to follow Eddie Izzard's lead after the comedian's recent feat of 43 full marathons in just 51 days.

Nevertheless, I am very proud of them both and indeed of all the runners who took part in the largest half marathon in the world on Sunday.

The event has never been more popular since it was first devised in 1981 by former Olympic bronze medallist Brendan Foster.

It raises huge amounts for charity every year and has now become an institution itself - a major part of the North East calendar.

In this year's competitive races, Lel ran the second fastest winning time in the event's history to win a tight men's contest by just 12 seconds from his fellow Kenyan Kiplimo Kimutai.

Portugal's Jessica Augusto was a surprise but clear winner of the women's race, completing the course in 1hr 9 minutes and 8 seconds.

In the men's wheelchair race, David Weir broke the course record with a time of 41 minutes 34 seconds, and the women's race was won by Amanda McGrory who clocked 49 minutes 47 seconds.

Personally, I've always fancied myself as a bit of a long-distance runner and going for a run is something which I will do if I want to clear my head.

But, to my shame, I have only ever run one official UK Athletics race when I finished the 2003 Blaydon Race, a distance of 5.7 miles, in 55m 36s.

After seeing the pride in the faces of my mam and my sister, though, the temptation of completing this personal achievement has never been greater. Maybe next year...