It would be safe to say that there’s not much to be proud of, living in the UK right now.
From a stream of dodgy public figures to endless debates about our national flag, it’s pretty difficult to feel good about being British in 2025.
But as I bounced over the Tyne Bridge on Sunday, one of 60,000 people taking part in the Great North Run, I realised I finally had a reason to be optimistic… because when it comes to mass-participation sporting events like this, we truly are the envy of the world.
The crowds were five deep, cheering ‘Howay, lass!’ and handing out orange segments every exhausting step of the way. At each mile marker a choir or steel band sang and played to raise flagging spirits. And then there were the Red Arrows, zooming over the 13.1-mile course to show the rest of the world how it’s done.
I’ve run half marathons all over Europe, where locals tend to do nothing more than shrug in irritation at race-day road closures. The Geordies, by contrast, go all out to welcome people, proud as punch to be hosting the largest half marathon on the planet.
Indeed, the Great North Run is such a wonderful example of the power of running for good, that we’ll forgive the organisers for featuring the wrong North-East city on the medal (Sunderland, rather than Newcastle. Oops.)
But the thing I can’t get over? How a tiny minority of vanity runners can ruin events like this – by putting their arrogant need for a sprint finish or personal best ahead of the basic requirement for good manners.
Step forward Tommy Fury, who was filmed shoving another runner aside as he approached the finish on Sunday. The unfortunate bloke was a plumber from Dumbarton, raising funds for Muscular Dystrophy UK.
Bryony Gordon with boxer Tommy Fury, right, and television personality Jake Quickenden at the Great North Run
Tommy Fury appears to push a fellow runner out of his way near the finish line of the half marathon
‘I felt this hand on my shoulder which pushed me to the side for him to run through,’ said Diarmaid Warner later. ‘I was a bit upset and thought that’s not on – it’s not really race etiquette.’
Fury, who usually shows off his sprint finishes at triathlons and 10ks to his 5.2million Instagram followers, has yet to post about this particular photo finish. One hopes the documentary crew who were along for the ride captured the moment for the next series of the BBC’s Tommy: The Good. The Bad. The Fury.
The 26-year-old, who made a name for himself as a finalist on Love Island, clearly believes he has the athletic prowess that catapulted his brother Tyson to stardom in the boxing ring. Sadly for young Tommy, it’s his relationship with influencer Molly-Mae Hague everyone is interested in… and it was this that excited me most when I found myself sitting behind him on the VIP coach and heard him FaceTiming his girlfriend and their two-year-old daughter Bambi.
Tommy was perfectly polite as we waited before the event, even posing for a photo with me. But I went right off him when I saw the footage at the finish line, especially after being elbowed out of the way myself during the race – by a man who, much like Fury, seemed more interested in perfecting his pace than protecting the spirit of the Great North Run.
Sadly, you’ll find pillocks like this at every big run. As the crowds roar and the sugar from the jelly babies being handed out begins to take hold, there’s always one idiot who thinks he’s Mo Farah rather than a bloke having a crisis of masculinity.
Every time I encounter a vanity runner who thinks nothing of trampling over your toes in expensive carbon-plated track shoes, I want to scream at them about the true beauty of running: that it’s for everyone, not just those who happen to be fast. Unfortunately, they’re usually several miles ahead of me by the time I’ve managed to dust myself down and gather the confidence to get back to my own race.
Egotistical exercisers like this are usually the same people who complain about obesity and laziness, with no apparent awareness that their attitude stops many larger people from enjoying the benefits of movement.
The terrible feeling of being picked last in PE lives on for decades, and it’s this that events such as the Great North Run try to overcome by encouraging people of all shapes and sizes to take part. It was why I was there, running in my pants and bra.
If the likes of Tommy Fury and the man who elbowed me out the way at mile five look closely at their medals, they won’t just see the wrong town, but a poem by a local who has taken part for the past 15 years. ‘We the thousands, we stand as one,’ it reads. ‘We stand together, we are the Great North Run.’
And there, in only a few short words, Tommy Fury will learn more about the true values of running than any sprint finish will ever teach him.
Harry and Zoe are the new Moss and Depp
Singer Harry Styles and US actress Zoe Kravitz hold hands in New York City
I have only one question about the relationship between Zoe Kravitz and Harry Styles: How come they didn’t get together sooner? Looking at the pictures of them in New York meeting Zoe’s rock-god father, Lenny, you realise the actress and the pop star are made for each other – a once-in-a-generation cool couple to rival Johnny Depp and Kate Moss or Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull. I can’t wait to see more of them.
Being gay is no excuse, Mandelson
Friends of Jeffrey Epstein have gone out of their way to distance themselves from the paedophile, but the emergence of his so-called birthday book shows how normalised misogyny was in his circle.
A man called Nick leaves a jokey note about the time two friends found their fingers entwined in a woman’s knickers on a night out in London – a sexual assault dressed up as a hilarious anecdote.
Peter Mandelson claims that because he’s gay he didn’t witness this side of Epstein, but it was plain to see in the pages of the birthday book he contributed to. It’s horrifying that he was even considered for the US ambassador job – and there are clearly more powerful men who also turned a blind eye to Epstein’s behaviour.
The real reason Sam Cam failed
Samantha Cameron is closing down her womenswear brand, Cefinn, after eight years
Pardon me for not crying over the demise of Cefinn, Samantha Cameron’s fashion label, where a shirt costs £270. Sam Cam called it an ‘urban uniform for busy women’ – but not those over size 16, who clearly aren’t worthy. If you’re upset about its closure, you can get equally unimaginative frocks for half the price from Phase Eight. You’re welcome!
I’m not a magic cleaning fairy
Less than half of children under 15 are made to help with chores. Who does them then, the butler? In our house, it’s not the standard of cleaning that matters, but the lesson it teaches our 12-year-old. Yes, we will probably have to restack the dishwasher or go back over the kitchen table with a J-Cloth, but if she’s not trying to pull her weight she’s not getting her pocket money. It’s a valuable lesson that there isn’t a magic cleaning fairy and nothing comes for free.
Apparently, you can tell if someone fancies you by their hugs. According to MSH Medical School in Hamburg, friends embrace for 2.88 seconds, but it’s 7.02 seconds for a potential partner. Cling to me like that and I’ll seek a restraining order.
