<b><i>Eddie Maddison</i></b> overcame injury problems to maintain his 100 per cent record of competing in every Great North Run.
He is among a select group that has maintained their superb record since the first in 1981.

But the Sunderland Harrier found his last effort the hardest of all, after overcoming injury problems that reduced him to a gentle jog from Newcastle to South Shields.

The South Hylton runner tore a calf muscle in the Penrose park run while on holiday in Devon four weeks before the race.
Ironically, it was his first race since last year’s Great North Run where he clocked 1.48.46.

The pain he was going through was evident by his performance, clocking his slowest ever time and eventually getting to the finish in 2hr 14min.
The 67-year-old said: “It was certainly tough going. It was a real struggle at times. I had been finding it difficult to walk never mind run. But with there being some slight improvement, I did manage to finish. The time was not important, just maintaining my record was the goal. I’m delighted to have achieved what I set out to do and keep my record intact.’’

Eddie’s fastest time was as a 39-year-old when he recorded 1.13.24.