Veterinary runners triumph in Simplyhealth Great North Run

The Simplyhealth Great North Run took place last weekend in Newcastle. It’s a half marathon and part of the Simplyhealth Great Run series which includes the Great South Run and Great Runs in Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester. Simplyhealth Professionals supports some of the vets and RVNs in practices that use its preventive healthcare plans to take part in the Great Runs and this year 28 took part in the Great North Run.

Holmefield Veterinary Clinic in Selby sent a team of five to the event – three vets, a receptionist and the practice manager, Helen McHugh who said they had a fantastic weekend, “We were so well looked after. We were driven to the starting line while our partners enjoyed the hospitality. When we arrived we were all really nervous but we were able to take the edge off by celebrity spotting and had selfies taken with Olly Murs and Dame Kelly Holmes. We all ran together as a team and took it steady which meant we didn’t have a fast time but we just had a great day out. The organisation and support on race day was incredible and made it truly enjoyable. When we got to the end we were given a massage which was brilliant. We’ve already been saying we’d all love to do it again next year!”

RVN Abi Newton of Westport Vets in South Queensferry attended the event with two veterinary colleagues, Liesbeth and Gillian, from the Linlithgow branch and said they all had a very positive experience, “It was just brilliant. The Simplyhealth staff are all so friendly and helpful and all the facilities were just amazing. It was well organised and there was an excellent atmosphere. My time was about half an hour under what I was aiming for as it was so hot but I’d like to do it all again next year.”

Justin Phillips, Marketing Director for Whitecross Vets says he and his family had a great time and felt well looked after, “I can’t walk today much to the amusement of my colleagues in the office but the important thing being I did it in 1hr 30 minutes.”

Justin says they also enjoyed celebrity spotting at the event and saw Sir Mo Farrah, Gabby Logan, Brendan Foster, Peanut from the Kaiser Chiefs and many more.

Sally Clarke, Director of Vets at Simplyhealth Professionals says it’s great to see people of all abilities taking part, “Running is a great way to improve physical and mental health and we enjoyed seeing people there who were serious runners and those who wanted to run alongside their colleagues and enjoy a great day out. There are benefits at all levels and we were very happy to be able to support them and deliver a memorable experience.”

An impressive 96% of runners supported by Simplyhealth Professionals report their experience to be ‘excellent’. There are another four Simplyhealth Great Runs scheduled to take place in September and October.

For more information about Simplyhealth Professionals visit http://www.pethealthplans.co.uk/vets.