THE Great North Run brought the curtain down on a golden summer of sport over the weekend.

The Red Arrows flew in formation over the Tyne Bridge as the iconic half-marathon got under way on Tyneside for the 32nd time yesterday.

Despite overcast skies and showers, thousands lined the course between Newcastle and South Shields to cheer on elite athletes and members of the public.

Nearly 40,000 people took part in the run after double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah helped to start this year’s half-marathon, alongside four other members of Team GB, including long jumper Greg Rutherford, boxer Nicola Adams, Teesside rower Kat Copeland, and Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds.

Mo Farah had been set to run in the 13.1-mile event, but bowed out earlier this month after admitting the London 2012 games had taken their toll.

He said: “There are so many people here, it’s unbelievable.

Everyone was smiling, giving us high-fives and it’s just been brilliant.”

Canadian sprinter Josh Cassidy, 27, won the Men’s Wheelchair race at this year’s event with a time of 43 minutes and 18 seconds.

Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, 30, won the men’s race with a time of 59 minutes and six seconds in a sprint finish against fellow countryman Micah Kogo.

Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba, 27, won the women’s race in her half-marathon debut with a time of one hour, seven minutes and 35 seconds.

Celebrity runners included X Factor winner and South Shields native Joe McElderry, model Nell McAndrew, and BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth.

Tony “The Fridge” Phoenix- Morrison, of Hebburn, South Tyneside, completed his 30th consecutive half-marathon by taking part with a 6st fridge strapped to his back.

He is raising money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and challenged himself to run a half-marathon every day for a month and has even said he will do another today without the fridge, “just for fun”.

The 48-year-old was greeted at the finish line by Brendan Foster, who organised the first run in 1981.

Mr Phoenix-Morrison said: “Brendan is my childhood hero, so to see him waiting for me at the end – top that!

“I am truly humbled and blessed to have completed the challenge because people wanted me to do it. I had some bad days but along the line there were a couple of rainbows.

I am a little bit broken but I won’t take long to repair.”

On Saturday, elite athletes from Great Britain and Northern Ireland took on the US in the Great North City Games.

Mo Farah won the two-mile event on the Quayside with a time of 8 min 40 sec, while Greg Rutherford, who also won an Olympic gold medal, came second to British athlete Chris Tomlinson in the long jump.

Meanwhile, nearly 6,000 runners aged three to 16 took part in the Bupa Junior and Mini Great North Run, and the first Bupa Great North Run 5k in Newcastle and Gateshead.

Schoolboy James McAllister did his family proud by completing the 4km Junior Great North Run in 22 minutes.

James, ten, of Darrowby Drive, Darlington, raised more than £300 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research in honour of his great aunt, Elaine Wheeldon, who suffered from leukaemia and had a bone marrow transplant in 1994.

Now 50, Mrs Wheeldon is a regular competitor in the Great North Run but decided to have a break this year, so James took part instead.

His mother, Rachel, said the event was fantastic and was made even better by the family catching glimpses of his Olympic heroes, including Mo Farah. She added: “We had a great day. James is absolutely revved up and can’t wait to do it all again next year.”

Bupa, which sponsors the Great North Run, yesterday announced a £1m investment in school sport over three years, through its partnership with the Youth Sport Trust.

Stuart Fletcher, chief executive of Bupa, said: “We want to develop the Greg Rutherford, Ellie Simmonds and Jess Ennis’ of tomorrow, and we know that support from teachers during children’s formative years is crucial for future sporting success.”