SIMON FARRINGTON

GNR Training - Hop Run 2026

Saturday 6th Jun Week 2 of the GNR training plan and I've finished it off with the Durty Events Hop Run 10k 2026 near Edinburgh. A beautiful course, in a lovely location, with some brutal climbs, but the finish is at Stewart Brewing brewery...what could possibly go wrong 😂 . Finishers medal, can of beer and a t-shirt. Next event coming up will be the Great North 10k.  Share

Running for Every Breath…and Occasionally for Cake

Monday 30th Mar

My Great North Run (Again!) with Team Breathe

Yes… I’m doing it again.

The Great North Run. Apparently twice wasn’t enough, and clearly my memory is short, because I’ve signed up for another 13.1 miles with Team Breathe, supporting Asthma + Lung UK.

You’d think after completing it before, I’d have learned a valuable lesson like “maybe stick to walking” or “remember how much your legs complained last time.”

But here we are. Round three. Still wheezy, still optimistic, still wondering if I’ll ever feel my knees again.

As someone who has lived with asthma my entire life (which is, scientifically speaking, ages), my lungs and I have had a long-term, occasionally dramatic relationship. If asthma offered loyalty tiers, I’d be on the VIP level with complimentary inhalers and a designated fainting couch.

The serious bit (before the next dad joke lands)

Here’s why this run matters so much — and why I’m asking for your help:

- Lung conditions are the third leading cause of death in the UK.

- Yet lung health research is chronically underfunded compared with areas like cancer and dementia.

- That lack of investment has meant very little progress in lung research over the last 30 years.

- For something affecting millions — and something I personally deal with daily — this is a cause that is, pun absolutely intended, extremely close to my heart.

Why I’m running again

Because this charity genuinely changes lives.

Because progress desperately needs funding.

And because someone said, “Well, you’ve done it once — it should be easier this time,” which is most definitely not how running works.

Also, I enjoy proving people wrong — preferably while sweating/swearing* (delete as applicable) dramatically.

What to expect this time around

A man who knows exactly how far 13.1 miles feels — and still questions his decisions by mile two.

Heavy breathing (strictly the respectable, athletic variety).

A stubborn, determined shuffle toward the finish line fuelled by snacks, grit, and mild panic.

The real possibility I’ll be overtaken by someone carrying a fridge! Again.

Dad joke time (brace yourself)

Why did the runner with asthma join Team Breathe?

Because he wanted to inhale victory!

(I’ll see myself out.)

How you can help

Your donation will fund better treatments, smarter research, and real support for people living with asthma and lung disease. It also provides essential motivation for me not to lie down on the Tyne Bridge and reconsider my life choices.

Every pound you donate genuinely makes a difference — to someone’s lungs, to the future of research, and frankly, to my sense of purpose somewhere around mile 11.

Top tip: Keep breathing… it’s good for you.

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