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Reporter sticks with sis to complete half marathon

A local press chief reporter swapped sibling rivalry for chivalry by helping his struggling sister round the world’s biggest half marathon.

Andrew McCreaddie, from the Knutsford Guardian, joined forces with his sister Katie to tackle the Great North Run on Sunday in Newcastle, but unfortunately her knee gave way at the five-mile mark.

Being a team player, Andrew stuck with his sister to ensure they both made it round through a combination of walking and gingerly running whenever she could.

Their efforts have not been in vain though as they have so far raised just shy of £1,300, easily succeeding their original £1,000 target, for premature baby charity Bliss.

Andrew told HTFP: “We did it in about three hours which is the slowest time I’ve ever done it in but I wanted to get her round more than anything.

“If you’ve never done it before you don’t get how difficult it is and it was baking hot as well. I don’t feel too bad but my joints are aching a little.

“We’re really pleased with the fundraising. I think everybody has been struggling to get people to part with their money now.”

The Guardian’s commercial features editor Andrew Moores was also meant to be joining them but was struck down with heavy flu on Saturday.

Elsewhere, a trio of hacks from the Harrogate Advertiser pounded the 13.1-mile course from Newcastle to South Shields.

Reporter Nina Swift was joined by her news editor Tom Hay and photographer Graham Schofield to raise money for Martin House children’s hospice.

Based near Wetherby, the hospice relies on donations of around £3.9m a year to keep running.

Nina said the trio were inspired to take up the challenge after featuring so many readers’ charity efforts in the paper and were hoping to raise £250 each.

Like Andrew’s sister, Nina’s knee stopped co-operating around the ten-mile mark, leaving her to hobble around the final three with her colleagues.

“It was the first half marathon for all of us and I’m determined to come back and the run whole thing next year,” she said.

Staying in the North East, Whitby Gazette editor Damian Holmes ran for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution which has a lifeboat station and museum in the North Yorkshire coastal town.

He completed the course in 2hrs 42mins which he said he was pleased with considering it was his first half marathon.

Comments

Gordon Holmes (22/09/2009 09:56:58)
Wanted to add my own congratulations to Fife Free Press reporter Donna Simpson who completed her first half marathon in just under three hours and raised money for Meningitis Research. And is now suffering in the office this morning for her efforts!

arnie (22/09/2009 11:08:21)
Well done Flipper – trust you un-did all your hard work with a few beers afterwards?!

Natalie (22/09/2009 14:26:08)
Well done Nina! Boo for the knee but you did great! x