Great North Run spectators help 78-year-old man finish race

John Curd was helped over the finishing line by Kurtis Walker and Connor Hodgson

A 78-year-old man who had to stop his Great North Run because of pain and poor weather praised two spectators who helped him finish the race.

John Curd was nearing the end of the 13.1 mile (21km) run when thunderstorms set in over South Shields on Sunday.

The ex-nurse from Southport said he was "frightened" of lightning and had started to suffer calf pain.

But when Kurtis Walker and Connor Hodgson saw he was struggling, they helped him over the finish line.

"There was the biggest black cloud I had seen in my life, the heavens opened and I'd never been in a storm like that," Mr Curd, who has previously completed 39 Great North Run races, told the BBC.

He decided to take shelter at a bus stop amid torrential downpours, which later flooded other parts of the town and caused widespread disruption.

Kurtis Walker and Connor Hodgson were given medals after helping John Curd finish

He had also began to suffer pain from a previous calf injury, which he had only recently received treatment for, and "didn't feel so good".

Mr Walker and Mr Hodgson, who had been watching the race unfold, noticed Mr Curd sitting on the ground and escorted him to a St John Ambulance refuge tent.

"We were talking to him, he really wanted to go on but he was scared of thunder," Mr Walker, from Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside, said.

"When I found out he had done it all these times before, I said I'll do this if you give me your (race) number," Mr Walker added.

The 78-year-old had taken shelter at a bus stop in South Shields

After Mr Walker set off, Mr Curd and Mr Hodgson were transported to 200m from the finishing line where they met the volunteer runner again.

The two rescuers then helped carry Mr Curd over the line so he could get a medal, while raising funds for charities including the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust.

Mr Walker said it was "heart-warming" and he was "pleased" Mr Curd was able to complete the race.

Mr Curd said he would not have finished the race without the efforts of the pair, adding: "It's heartening to find there are some good people in the world.

"That was the great North East spirit, it is what you find in the North East and the kind people."

He has since vowed to complete at least two more Great North Runs before he turns 80, and has said he will stay in touch with the two friends who helped him.

He said he "hoped" the weather would be on his side when it returns on 8 September 2024.