Family tackle Great North Run together
A SHEPSHED physiotherapist and seven family members, whose ages range from 27 to 63, tackled the Great North Run at the weekend in memory of their relative.
For the third year in a row Holly Friesner has taken on the half marathon, which sees fitness enthusiasts run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields, and she set a new personal best, completing the course in one hour 52 minutes.
But this year, Holly, (29), a physiotherapist at Loughborough Hospital, did not run alone.
The runner was joined by her dad, older sister, aunt, three cousins and one of their wives.
The group came together to raise funds for the Newcastlebased St Oswald’s Hospice in memory of Holly’s uncle.
Holly told the Echo her dad came out of “running retirement” to take part in the half marathon having sprinted the inaugural event in 1981 and numerous following this.
But not everyone in the group had as much running experience.
Holly said: “I’m a runner but one of my cousins and auntie are not runners at all! They’ve gone from nothing to a half marathon.
“Joy, my sister, did it in two hours, David, my dad, two hours 13 minutes, Ali and Alex, my cousin and his wife, two hours 17 minutes, Andrea, my cousin, two hours 51 minutes and Barbara and Sarah, my auntie and cousin, in four hours.
“The Great North Run is the best half marathon, probably in the world. The support all the way round is great. It’s a really good event.
“This family effort shows that it doesn’t matter what your starting point is, if you set your goals, you can achieve great things.”
And if running the 13.1-mile course wasn’t enough, Holly is also to run the Nottingham Marathon - her first every marathon - on September 24.
Holly and her family hope to raise £1,800 for St Oswald’s Hospice.
Their JustGiving page can be found at www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/friesner-carrfamilygnr