Auditel franchise owner completes the Great North Run

Auditel franchise owner Daryn Dodge has completed the Bupa Great North Run to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

The Bupa Great North Run is a half-marathon that involves running 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields.

Before the start Dodge said: “I am not quite sure how I got here but here I am about to embark on a half-marathon! Actually I do know, as I chose to run for Diabetes UK in 2009, and seem to have become addicted to it. This year, the week of the Run coincides with the 10th anniversary of my brother’s death from a heart attack, so my friend Paul Dorrington and I are supporting the British Heart Foundation this year.

“Although we have done the Great North Run before, Paul has had significant commitments working on the Olympics and has had a serious Achilles tendon injury that he has struggled to recover from. I have also had health issues and injuries which meant that we were both well behind in our training. Therefore, getting to the finish line this year was always going to be more of a challenge than usual.”

After the race, Dodge said: “Well, the Great North Run was an amazing experience as always. As I had some really generous donations – over £700 so far – I thought it was important to make a serious attempt and not just ‘walk around’. The restricted training left us seriously exposed but we were determined to run all the way, which we did in a time of 2:46:36. We didn’t break any records but we achieved what we wanted to, which was to finish, and raise money for a good cause that is close to my heart (and to many others).”

Published: 16 October 2012

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