BRITISH international half-marathon runner Ryan McLeod will take up a new position in Sunday’s Great North Run as he leads the masses as one of the first group of pacemakers in the race’s 35-year history.
Keeping pace: Ryan McLeod will take part in the Great North Run as a pacemaker
As a pacing ‘Duracell Bunny’, McLeod, British half-marathon champion in 2014 and 2015, is tasked with clocking a gun-totape time of 95:00, racking up miles at slightly more than seven minutes apiece to help thousands of runners achieve PBs.
As a 64:18 man at his best, the physical exertion for the World Half-marathon Championship competitor is akin to warm-up pace, but he is motivated by helping the masses to lifetime best times.
McLeod, a proud Geordie, said: “The pressure is on me to get the pace right. I’m confident in my ability and my watch to keep me right and get the splits accurate for everybody to deliver the guys and girls around me to 1:35 pace.”