Bupa Great North Run Hall Of Fame Charity Dinner - Tuesday 13 April 2010 at The Newcastle Gateshead Hilton Hotel
This year’s Bupa Great North Run Hall of Fame Charity Dinner took place on Tuesday 13 April, 2010 at the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton Hotel.
We again honoured those individuals who over the years have made a special contribution to the Bupa Great North Run - not just the victors from the Olympian world of elite athletes but also volunteers, administrators, media colleagues, fundraisers and celebrity supporters from the last 29 years.
In 2007, the Bupa Great North Run Hall of Fame was established to ensure these special individuals would be recognised for helping to turn the event into the most popular national sporting fixture, with over 750,000 people having crossed the finish line in South Shields and millions more around the globe having watched their endeavours.
There are plans to create a permanent home for the Bupa Great North Run Hall of Fame in the not too distant future.
The Bupa Great North Run Hall Of Fame Roll of Honour...
2010
Liz McColgan
Liz competed in the 1992 IAAF World Championships “Great North Run”, which she won in a time of 1:08:53. She then returned in 1995 and 1996 when she took the titles again. In 1997 Liz was outrun by Lucia Subano and Marian Sutton and had to settle for 3rd place with a very respectable time of 1:10:08. Liz McColgan has been a great supporter of the Great North Run for many years now.
Jeanne Roach
Nominated for volunteer services to the Great North Run. Jeanne has been in charge of the water distribution at the finish since the first Great North Run. A leading, well known figure within girls uniformed organisations in South Shields she has consistently provided up to 60 individuals to undertake one of the most pressurised jobs in the run. Jeannes group like her are always efficient, cheerful and very helpful and even under immense pressure always cope.
Red Arrows
2002 was the year the world famous iconic image of the Great North Run changed. Acknowledged as one of the world’s premier aerobatic teams, the Red Arrows are a symbol of excellence and the public face of the Royal Air Force making the Great North Run take off big style.
Ross Taylor
The late Ross Taylor was nominated for outstanding contribution to charity fundraising at the Great North Run. Ross was best known for his pioneering work in the field of Kidney Transplant Surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle at the time of the first Great North Run. Wanting to raise money for his research into transplant rejection, he took part in the Great North Run for many years using it as a fundraising vehicle and was very proud of his finishers medal collection. Ross was a very dear friend to the Great North Run team.
2009
Benson Masya
The late Benson Masya, who died at the age of 33 in 2003 after suffering ill health for a lengthy period, was acknowledged as one of the world’s great ever road runners over distances from 10,000 metres to the full marathon. However, he will be best remembered for his outstanding performances in the Bupa Great North Run where between 1991 and 1996 he won the title on four occasions and also once finished runner-up.
Sonia O’Sullivan
Winner of the 2000 Olympic 5000m silver medal was recognised for the massive contribution she has made not only to the Bupa Great North Run with her two victories but other venues in the global Great Run series.
Terry Rutherford
Now retired, Terry, annually closed the roads of the 13.1 mile Great North Run route including the passage over the famous Tyne Bridge ensuring the race kept to its schedule.
Ray Scott
Club runner, Ray Scott has organised the chaperones for the stars of stage and screen who each year represent their favourite charities.
Sir Jimmy Savile
The universally popular Sir Jimmy Savile, who began his first association with the race in the early years, was recognised for the vast contribution he has made, particularly with the highly popular Junior Runs and the Festival of Sport.
2008
Grete Waitz
Grete Waitz is a true pioneer of women's distance running. The 4th Great North Run in 1984 saw the Norwegian legend cut six minutes off the previous best time. On her second visit to Tyneside in 1988 she set a UK all comers' record for the half marathon distance in the Great North Run slashing 56 seconds off Australian, Lisa Martin's course record.
Consultant Mr Richard Sainsbury and Dr. Chris Vallis
The welfare of runners has always been at the centre of the Bupa Great North Run's organising team. Consultant Mr Richard Sainsbury and Dr Chris Vallis have been on hand throughout the years to provide the highest level of medical expertise and professionalism to the thousands of runners that have taken part in the Bupa Great North Run.
John Bird and Mike Neville
John Bird - Look North's Editor in 1981 - and iconic front man Mike Neville helped create one of the best success stories ever - the Great North Run. The BBC Newcastle office offered to process all the entry forms but they can never have anticipated the deluge that began to arrive. But John, Mike and the team were true to their word and recruited their own army of helpers to deal with the sackfuls of mail. So Mike Neville was the logical choice to be the official starter of that first race.
Kath Scott
Bupa Great North Run volunteer Kath Scott has been at the finishing line since year one. She's probably seen every runner through the finish system! Her leadership abilities, calmness, sense of poise, thoroughness and commitment are an example to us all.
Jane Tomlinson
Jane Tomlinson, the courageous and inspirational women whose head on fight against cancer captured the hearts and minds of the nation, took part in The Bupa Great North Run three times and raised over £1.6 million for charity. Sadly she lost her battle with cancer in September 2007 but Jane's legacy lives on with her family's continuing work for her charity.
2007
Mike McLeod
10,000m Olympic silver medallist, who won the inaugural Great North Run and again in 1982 with runner up medals from 1985 and 1989.
George Davis
Volunteer Recruitment and Drinks Station Leader, having worked on every Bupa Great North Run.
David Gordon
Head of Major Events for BBC Sport and has covered the Bupa Great North Run for over ten years capturing the emotions, atmosphere and the memories of the world’s largest half-marathon.
Martin Webster
Executive Producer for BBC Sport who has worked on every live BBC coverage of the Bupa Great North Run, knowing where the best shots and interviews should take place and ensuring the elite athletes are given plenty of exposure.
Rosa Maria Correia dos Santas Mota
Olympic Gold medallist, European and World Champion and winner of the Bupa Great North Run twice. One year donated her prize money to a local school.
Phillip Crawley
Editor of The Journal newspaper in 1981. His enthusiasm and support ensured the staging of the first Bupa Great North Run was a huge success and was instrumental in ensuring its continued growth in the early years. He also published the first ever front page devoted to the world famous shot of the thousands of runners crossing the Tyne Bridge.
Dame Tanni Grey Thompson
Sixteen times Olympic medallist and the most successful disabled athlete in the UK. With a total of eight victories, Tanni is the most successful athlete ever at the Bupa Great North Run.
Ken Lomas
Ken persuades famous faces from Leukaemia Research’s Banana Army to attend the Bupa Great North Run every year. All these yellow clad celebrities add to the excitement of the day and raise the profile of the race amongst spectators and TV viewers. His fundraising efforts have improved the research and treatment of leukaemia enormously, raising over £6 million for the charity.