Just three days after the Queen's death, the Great North Run, the world's biggest half marathon, took place in Newcastle. Since the Great North 5K, after all British Championships in 5-kilometre road running, which was scheduled for Saturday, as well as the associated schoolchildren's races were cancelled, we were pleased that the organisers decided to hold the half marathon as scheduled. Hence off to Newcastle in the north of England!

As Natalie was an elite athlete, the day started a little earlier for her, as the starting gun for the 40 or so selected top runners goes off 25 minutes before the general start. Like Natalie, Kenenisa Bekele, Helen Obiri & Co. were also registered as elite starters, so we encountered some world-class runners during the warm-up. Then the race got underway. The 40 runners made their way from the north of Newcastle south to the Tyne Bridge, the landmark of the city and the event, and on out of town to South Shields, where after 21.1 varied but challenging kilometres the atmospheric finish line awaited. 20 minutes later, the race spectacle started for me as well. But before I was sent out on the course together with about 60,000 other half marathon runners - what a number! - Queen Elizabeth II was commemorated with a minute's silence and the anthem.

I took an offensive approach to the race that followed. I was to be rewarded for this courage. I passed the 10-kilometre mark after 33:29 minutes. After running 19.5 kilometres, I entered the last mile after a final wave. I mobilised all my reserves once again and rewarded myself with a 38-second improvement in my best time. 1:11:20! Good time, good race! While I had a few runners around me and finished in 53rd place, Natalie had to run large parts of the race alone. The wind and the undulating course were more of a problem for her than I had hoped. In the end, she finished in 1:22:53 hours, making her the 28th woman and fastest German. The Great North Run was, without a doubt, worth the trip. The atmosphere was great, the event an experience and the city has a lot to offer for a weekend trip.