Great North Run: Carole’s journey

Each year, 57,000 runners lace up their trainers and take part in the world’s biggest half marathon. Starting in the iconic Newcastle City Centre and finishing by the sea in South Shields, the Great North Run offers a great opportunity to set yourself a challenge and help raise funds for life-saving research in Yorkshire.

This year, Carole Paley, a Research Fellow and physiotherapist from Skipton, will be taking on the 13.1 miles for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

We spoke to Carole about her training, why she’s running for the charity, and how she’s feeling about the big day.

“I work on a Yorkshire Cancer Research funded study at the University of Leeds. Without the support of people across Yorkshire this research wouldn’t be possible, so it feels really important to me to raise money for the charity this year,” explains Carole.

The ‘RESOLVE’ study, a collaboration between the Universities of Leeds and Hull, aims to improve the health and management of symptoms for people living with advanced cancer across Yorkshire and their families.

Carole continued: “At the moment, my colleagues and I are looking at ways to help patients manage their symptoms. This includes things like mindfulness and yoga, in addition to more traditional medical treatments. This research will then be used to help develop guidance and resources for patients, their families and carers and healthcare professionals.”

As well as being part of the work funded by the charity, Carole also has a more personal connection to cancer.

She said: “The other motivation to run for the charity is that both of my parents died of cancer, so it’s a way to remember them too.”

Friends and family have already got behind Carole’s training and fundraising, and by providing regular updates on her progress, she’s already more than halfway towards her target.

“I only put my fundraising page up recently, but I’ve already received lots of donations. I have a target of £150 but I’m hoping to raise more than that.

“I’ve got a lot of friends who are involved in running and who also treat cancer patients, so they’ve been really supportive.”

With the big day fast approaching, Carole is making sure she trains regularly so she’s as prepared as possible.

“Things are going well this year,” she says. “I’ve been taking part in various races to build myself up to the day. I live in the countryside, so I have lots of opportunity to get out and run.

“I have a treadmill in the garage too, to make sure I can keep my training up if the weather’s bad.”

Carole is no stranger to the iconic race, having completed the distance twice before.

“The first time I did it, believe it or not, was 1982, which was the second time it had ever happened. Then I did it again in 2012 with a big group of runners from our local NHS Trust.

“I’ve been running for 45 years. It’s an important part of my life and I enjoy the camaraderie between runners.

“I find big events like this emotional occasions because local communities all turn out to support the race. It’s like a big street party.”