Great North Air Ambulance Service

A MAN has broken a world record by completing the fastest half marathon dressed as a three-dimensional aircraft.

Adam Price, 32, from Eaglescliffe, completed the Great North Run in just over two hours and 15 minutes while wearing the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s (GNAAS) helicopter mascot costume ‘Ellie Copter’.

The 2023 Great North Run was his fifth time participating in the half marathon, but his first attempt at a world record.

He said: “I looked at loads of different half marathon records in fancy dress, and some are just mentally fast, like sub an hour and 30 minutes in fancy dress. I also wanted to link a fancy dress outfit to a local charity.

“I eventually found the half marathon record for being dressed as a 3D aircraft, which was a time of two hours and 25 minutes. I decided it was an achievable record and could link it to GNAAS, so it was a no-brainer.”

On the day of the Great North Run, runners endured scorching heat, with temperatures reaching above 20 degrees, the hottest on record for the event.

Mr Price said: “The day was super-hot anyway, so inside Ellie was by far the hottest run I had done to date. The wait at the start in the blazing heat was brutal, but the support I was getting from others before, during and after was incredible, although one gentleman came up to me and said, “you have made some really poor choices”, and just walked off. It did make me chuckle.

“Out on the course, the support was just never-ending. When I got cramp around mile ten, and people could see I was suffering, the cheering and encouragement ramped up again. Then, when I finally got onto the coast road with loads of time in the bag, I just enjoyed it, soaked in the finish properly and savoured each moment.”

Mr Price completed the Great North Run in two hours, 15 minutes and 27 seconds, beating the previous record of two hours, 24 minutes and six seconds.

He said: “I knew from about mile 12 that I had it in the bag given how much time I had to spare, but it wasn’t until I could see the finish line that I properly started celebrating. I crossed the line and checked my watch to see just how much I had taken off, and I was buzzing. There was a huge relief also, as I had put a lot of pressure on myself to do it, even with the heat. I had worked so hard training properly, so I would’ve been gutted to miss out. A real mix of relief and elation.”

After escaping the thunder, lightning, and heavy rain experienced by runners in the afternoon, Mr Price returned home to a hero’s welcome. He was greeted by his wife and children, who wanted to hear about his day before tucking into a Teesside delicacy.

He said: “The texts and calls I got from everyone who saw me and wanted to congratulate me really meant a lot. Then I celebrated like any good Teessider should do, with a parmo.”

In addition to beating a world record, Mr Price also doubled his fundraising target and has raised more than £2,000 for GNAAS.

He said: “I can’t quite believe how generous people have been. I set out to raise £1,000, and at one point, I struggled to make £500, so to double my target is staggering. I know the money will be put to good use and will literally save lives.”

Places for next year’s Great North Run are available to purchase on GNAAS’ website. To find out more and buy a place visit: https://gna.as/GNR_2024

About GNAAS

• The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a charitably funded air ambulance service which provides life-saving care throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Isle of Man.
  
• They operate two helicopters 365 days a year and also operate a night-time service in the UK in the North East and Cumbria on rapid response vehicles.
  
  
• The aircraft cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles and on board are specialist doctors and paramedics who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.
  
  
• The level of skill and expertise of the on-board team mean they respond to the most critically ill and injured people, giving them the best chance of survival.
  
  
• GNAAS is a progressive organisation which has pioneered pre-hospital care in the region.
  
• The latest techniques, equipment and drugs are constantly being evaluated to ensure the charity can provide the best care possible for their patients.
  
  
• 2022 marked the service providing 20 years of life-saving care. Throughout this time, they have responded to more than 23,500 incidents across the region, with road traffic collisions being the most frequent type of incident responded to by the team.
  
  
• They do not receive Government funding and must therefore raise £7.7m a year through public donations to remain operational.

For more information visit: https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/ or follow @gnairambulance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok