We are the GNR: Amelia Robinson

For 44 years, the Great North Run has been defined by the people who run it—people with grit, courage, and stories that uplift us all.

Among the thousands preparing to take on the AJ Bell Great North Run 2025 is 18-year-old Amelia Robinson from Barnard Castle, running alongside her mum in what will be her very first half marathon.

For Amelia this is more than an iconic event, a milestone run, it’s a moment of triumph after years of adversity.

Amelia spent most of her teenage years living with scoliosis, a condition that made sport and physical activity extremely difficult, despite her love for both. At 15, she underwent neurosurgery, followed by a complex spinal fusion a year later. There were moments she feared she’d never be able to run again.

“Once I started walking again and regaining mobility, I never thought I’d get back into running,” Amelia shares. “But here I am.”

The Great North Run is now her opportunity to raise awareness and send a message of hope to others facing spinal conditions: that there is life after surgery, that recovery is possible, and that regaining motivation and self esteem post surgery is just around the corner.

Amelia is raising funds for the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, the hospital that helped her through the most challenging chapter of her life.

“Without their endless support and compassion, I would never have made it through my journey the way I did,” she says. “Now, I get to give something back by running this race.”

As she prepares to leave home for university in Manchester, fresh from completing her A-levels, Amelia is embracing a year of major change and rising to meet it all head-on.

“Finishing college and getting ready to move to university has really pushed me to be my greatest,” she says. “This run is part of that too.”

She’s currently training regularly and building up her strength with each run. While she knows the Great North Run won’t be easy, her determination and personal experience fuel every step.

“Train hard,” she advises future runners. “That way, the day won’t feel like such a struggle.”

For Amelia, the Great North Run is more than a finish line. It’s about showing others that a diagnosis doesn’t have to define you, that healing is possible, and that hard work and determination can carry you a long way.

“I want to show everyone who’s had spinal fusion surgery or is living with scoliosis that with motivation and time, you can still do whatever anyone else can,” she says. “It will work out in the end.”

Amelia’s story is one of strength, healing, and giving back and she’s only just getting started. The Great North Run is more than a race. It’s a movement of people with passion and purpose.

Everyone is a story, together we are the Great North Run.

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