Harry Miller’s Run

Liam just wants to go out running with his mates—the Junior Great North Run is not far away, and there’s training to be done. But Mam needs him today, to help old Harry clear out his house. And Harry knows a thing or two about running. When he was a lad, he says, he ran from Newcastle to South Shields. “But Harry,” says Mam, “it’s thirteen miles!” Harry grins. “Different days,” he says. Here is the story of that day: of sweltering heat, clattering boots, briny sea air, and the heavenly taste of ice cream; the day when Harry and his pals ran and ran and ran through the blazing sunlight all the way to the sea.