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BUPA Great North Run
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I parked my car at Durham University on Saturday dinnertime and didn't use it again til I went home on Sunday evening. Nirvana did everything - they pick you up first thing Sunday morning and drop you off near the start. After the run they do a shuttle service back to your accommodation. The best thing though was that they let you back into your room for a shower (none of this checking out by 1100am malarky). The breakfast was great and they do a pasta meal on the Saturday night for a small charge. I thought it was well worth it to use them.
This is my first GNR and I'm quite nervous. I know there's loads of time for training, but I'm only running about 5 miles in my long run at the moment.
I have paid my deposit, with the balance due 8 weeks before the run, i received the written confirmation a couple of days after it was booked.
It's all in hand, so all i need now is to keep injury/virus free until september!!
I found the whole GNR experience pretty unpleasant, I'm afraid.
I think my dad and I are only doing it because it's the 25th anniversary (we did it about 8 years ago) but it's getting too overhyped and overpriced. Much prefer the smaller runs.
Ive managed to find something in Washington by myself but it isn't easy for people...Maybe its become all about the money?
It's very pricey too. I wouldn't mind so much if the profits went to charity (as with the FLM), but the GNR is a commercial operation, and they seem to turn the screw very tight to squeeze money out of the punters.
Having said all that, I wouldn't be so mean as to hope that people don't have a good run up there. It's an interesting experience and many people do go back for more, so it can't be all bad.
Saying that, I'm running for the 2nd year in a row. Luckily my boyfriend's at uni in Newcastle, so I just steal his house for the weekend.
But I don't envy everyone who has to stay in a hotel...
so what do you recommend for Southern newbies who haven't run this one before and our dreading the logistics at the end? Is there a hotel at the finish that one can fall into? Or is Durham univ campus the best option. I don't fancy being stuck in queues all day...
Where to stay? And how to get away at the end?
If I was doing it again (!) I would try to find some B'n'B in South Shields.
But the chances of that at this late stage (ie 6 months before the race!) are small.
Let me be honest with you. If I was you, I would throw my race number into the bin, and just be glad that I wouldn't have to go through with the hassle.
But if you're totally committed to going, then I dunno, yes, I suppose you have to take whatever's going, or throw yourself onto the non-existent mercy of Nirvana and Fatty Foster.
Sorry to sound so cynical. You may want to do what we did. At the end, in South Shields, we just found a pub and stayed there for 3 hours or so. There was still a traffic jam even then, but at last it was moving by that time.
South Shields is a small place, and they're not really geared up to 100,000 or so people turning up all of a sudden.
Best thing is just to have a devil-may-care attitude, and go with the flow.
yes RC i agree - you definately just need to go with the flow. wanting or needing to be out of s shields quickly and you'll just end up v p!ssed off. we were STOPPED in a traffic jam (still stuck in the car park) for nearly 3 hours last year and didn't get home til nearly 5pm! last time we leave the car at the finish, normally we leave it at the start. the best way to be sure of getting out quickly is to r*n it quickly and keep r*nning til you get to the first bus out of there! we did this the year before last and we were home by half 1 and we live an hour away!
Not sure how busy the ferry will be and I get seasick on it!! Pathetic I know.
i'm still injured so still not training
Maybe I'll just go to the beach in South Shields if the weather is nice, and build sandcastles while the traffic dies down :-)
So it's pack a picnic and park yourself in a spot until the traffic has died down a bit then!
i've been injured so long zoom, nothing could make me feel worse! i have my last hope on thursday when i go to visit a proper r*nning injury guy and he has to fix me!
Back to Nirvana for us this year with the GNR. Not cheap, but it takes away a lot of the hassle. Have already booked hotel. Wasn't impressed with the B&B Nirvana put us in 2 years back.
I assume the first magazine will arrive shortly with all of the details.
I've walked to the ferry terminal from th efinish for three years now. The first year the queues were huge, but the sun was shining and the atmosphere was good. They do shift people very quickly though, even long queues move quickly.
Last year and the year before I didn't hang around very long after collecting my goody bag. The queues were much shorter.
I would definitely recommend this way of getting away from S Shields, even if your destination is South.
Then afterwards we got our goodie bags, grabbed a quick cuppa in the charity tent (still the best cuppa I've ever tasted!) and headed straight to the metro and back to Heworth. The metro queue was about 30-40 mins and there was no traffic to speak of on the roads heading south.
The year before we parked at Sunderland/Stadium of sh1te and did the same - same result, no problems.
I guess we were at the metro in South Sheilds inside of 2:30 after the gun, but this seems to work well and we'll definitely be doing the same this year.
Hope it helps - and good luck on the day!
Cheers,
Andrew