Lee Ridley and team finish half-marathon in 3hrs 1min

Lost Voice Guy Lee Ridley took part in the Great North Run yesterday – with his team pushing him around the half-marathon course in just over three hours.

After the race the Britain’s Got Talent comic said: ‘What an incredible day with incredible people! Thanks for all the love I received around the course, it really took my breath away. And a special thanks to my pushers, Lee, Ollie, Claudia and Paul, who were such a team together!

‘We all raised lots of money for the brilliant @SmileforlifeNE. The whole experience has made me even prouder to be a Geordie!’

His support team comprised his agent, Lee Martin of Gag Reflex, the company’s technical manager Ollie Downton, and producer Claudia Marshall, plus his publicist, Paul Sullivan. They all recorded times of between 3 hours 1 minute and 3 hours 3 minutes.

Ridley, who is Consett, County Durham and has  cerebral palsy, raised just under £2,000 for the Smile for Life children's charity, of which he is patron. with donations still being accepted.

Before the race he said: ‘I’m really looking forward to taking part in my first Great North Run. I watch it every year on the television and the atmosphere looks amazing so I can’t wait to experience it myself. I think it’s something that every Geordie has to do at some point in their life.’

#GreatNorthRun: Completed
What an incredible day with incredible people! Thanks for all the love I received around the course, it really took my breath away. And a special thanks to my pushers, Lee, Ollie, Claudia and Paul, who were such a team together! 1/2 pic.twitter.com/fJqm02p3Uo

— Lost Voice Guy. Book available to buy. Link in bio (@LostVoiceGuy) September 11, 2023

The Great North Run, which was broadcast on BBC One, was Olympic champion Mo Farah's final race as a professional athlete. The 40-year-old finished fourth.

Also among the 60,000 people running from Newcastle, through Gateshead to South Shields. were TV Dragon Sara Davies  and Emmerdale stars Laura Norton and Isabel Hodgins.

The event, sponsored by investment firm AJ Bell. raised an estimated £25million for charity.

Published: 11 Sep 2023