Dr Tony Gill to take on Great North Run with daughter, in aid of Motor Neurone Disease

At age 19, Tony ran the first ever Great North Run and finished in 72 minutes. He has ran it on many occasions since, but this time he will be teaming up with his daughter, Becky, to complete the race.

As a university student in Newcastle, Becky had seen the Great North Run a few times and decided she wanted to run it. Tony agreed to join her.

Tony, who was ‘the proudest man on the planet’ walking Becky down the aisle a few weeks ago, said: “We’ve been best mates since Becky was little. She was there when I got my PhD, I was there when she got her first-class honours degree.

“Becky will leave me behind during the run, but it’s something we can say we have done together.

“I’ve given her the beer money to get the drinks in as she will be finished before me!”

Tony and Becky will be raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association. 

It’s a cause close to Tony’s heart; an academic from his time at university had his life cut short by the disease, and a friend’s relative has recently been diagnosed with it.

“I would like to raise awareness of MND and help raise funds towards helping anyone who is affected by it, and their families.

“More needs to be done to help others and to raise awareness,” Tony said. 

Donate to Tony and Becky’s fundraiser here and stay up-to-date with Tony on Twitter.