Sunday 10th September was an epic day for our local hero, 102 year old, Bill Cooksey – the day had arrived for the Great North Run. A very anxious day for all, wondering if Bill would / could indeed finish this iconic northern run.
An early start and Bill was collected at 6.30am by ‘Team Cooksey’, Gavin Iceton, Bills walking companion and his support team. They made their way to The Hilton Hotel, Gateshead where they met up with Sue Jacques, the CEO of the County Durham & Darlington NHS Trust Foundation, who pushed Bills emergency wheelchair (just in case). From the Hilton they caught the VIP coach to the start line. The atmosphere was electric, Bill was interviewed by the BBC and several high profile Radio Channels. Brendan Foster made his way to the start where he and Bill had a good chat, they had met previously in April at The Houses of Parliament when Bill was a guest of the Rt. Hon. Paul Howell, MP for Sedgefield. Paul Howell joined Bill on the day at the start line to give his support and encouragement.
11.15am and they set off (after the elite runners), in perfect sunshine they made their way over the Tyne Bridge, continually spurred on by the other runners and the cheering spectators along the entire route.
Bills walking pace was good and they aimed for 2.5 miles an hour due to the soaring heat. At 5 and 8 miles they put a little stop in to have a drink and then back to the route. The crowds by the roadside were absolutely brilliant shouting ‘Go Bill’ and ‘You’re a legend’ – everyone, young and old, cheered Bill on, they really helped to keep him going.
At 9 miles the weather took an awful turn and they were literally walking through water up to their ankles! Gavin feared for Bill at this point and despite deploying a brolly the trio were soaked to the skin, but Bill refused to stop – “In for a penny, in for a pound” he said, and he courageously battled through the flash floods and thunder storm for the next 4.1 miles – they were seen approaching the finish line – a magnificent sight as this RAF veteran defied the odds and crossed the finish line in a time of 5 hours 41 minutes, a truly remarkable gentleman with immense inner strength – hats off to Bill Cooksey – what a marvellous achievement and a day that Bill, Gavin and Sue will never forget.
All proceeds are going to our fabulous County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Foundation.
Last week Bill and Gavin made a special journey to Great North Run HQ to be presented with their GNR T-shirts, signed by Brendan Foster, along with some framed photos of the day. Bill, now fully recovered from his epic feat, is planning another challenge . . . watch this space.
