Hometown finishes race of runner who died

Sam Wealleans fell ill along the Great North Run route

Hundreds of people in the hometown of Sam Wealleans, who died after the Great North Run, have run and walked 3.3km (2.1 miles) in his memory.

It is the distance the 29-year-old from Northumberland had to complete when he collapsed.

The event began at Church Point in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea at 11:00 BST on Sunday and people completed one full loop of the promenade.

Organiser Karen McNeill Smith, from running group Newbiggin SAS, said: "There is still a sense of shock, but this is our way of coming together and saying thank you for his life."

Organiser Karen McNeill Smith said the event was a way of saying "thank you" for his life

Darren Lansbury, a friend who completed the run, said: "He was an absolute cracking bloke, everybody loved him."

Another friend, Helen Armstrong, added: "One thing about Newbiggin is the community is like nowhere else on earth and to be part of that is amazing."

About 800 people took part in the memorial event

Mr Wealleans had been running the half marathon from Newcastle to South Shields on 8 September when he collapsed and was taken to hospital.

He was running for the charity Mind in memory of his sister and his friend Matty, and his fundraising target of £350 has since passed £30,000.

Organisers estimated about 800 people took part in his memorial run and several hundred more lined the route.

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