Former middle-distance runner and six running friends clock 78:02 for the fastest ever half-marathon pushing a wheelchair by a team.
Drew Graham, the British middle-distance runner whose career ended after a spinal cord injury, set a Guinness World Record at the Great North Run on Sunday (Sept 7) after being pushed along the 13.1-course by six friends.
They included former GB internationals Ryan McLeod and Matt Bond plus Alex Smith, Jonathan Graham, Nick Hooker and Matt Nicholson as we published in our original article on this subject in July.
The runners went through the first mile in a swift 5:20 and 5km in 17:21 but later began to struggle a little into the headwinds with one of their team falling back at one stage. It meant their ambitious target of sub-76 minutes drifted away but they rallied in the closing stages, going through 10 miles in 59:17 and finishing in 78:02 to easily beat the Guinness record for “the fastest ever half-marathon pushing a wheelchair by a team (male)”.
McLeod, whose father Mike won the first Great North Run in 1981, said: “Being competitive guys we were naturally initially disappointed to miss the goal we set ourselves, but on reflection, we smashed our wheelchair push personal best by eight minutes, finished 200th in the Great North Run, set a Guinness World Record and raised just under £10,000 for Gym Possible with Gift Aid.”
Graham added: “It felt amazing to be out there on the course with the team. I couldn’t believe how fast 78-minute pace felt in the chair! The lads kept commenting on how good the deviate Elite 3’s felt, it made me wish they were around when I was still running. I did my own half marathon challenge on the Skierg at Gym Possible the week of the GNR. I set off way too fast and went through a really tough patch with an hour to go.
“Thanks to the SIS energy gels a really rough few kilometres didn’t turn into a full “bonk“ and I was able to finish strong, getting just under my goal of four hours. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped me and team, it means so much.”
McLeod- “To be asked by Drew to push him for a 3rd time in the Great North Run was an honour. From a silly tongue in cheek idea of running/pushing 75 minutes very nearly turned into a reality!
“Things didn’t quite go our way on the day, it’s tough to get six guys all in shape and to deliver on the day in challenging windy conditions, but to still come away with an amazing 78-minute clocking and a Guinness World Record was absolutely huge! I want to say a massive thank you to the companies who sponsored us and helped us out along the way, we could not have done it without you.”
Nicholson said: “At the age of 43 and after years away from the sport I never thought I’d be lining up in a serious race again. Drew inspired me to get fit, losing two stone in weight in the process, and I’ve found my love for running again.”
