Chris Kamara's son was overcome with emotion as the former Sky Sports presenter completed the Great North Run for charity. Kamara, 68, who was diagnosed with speech apraxia in 2022, a neurological condition affecting speech, finished the half-marathon to support Prostate Cancer UK.
His son, Jack, who ran alongside him with presenter Ben Shephard, struggled to hold back tears. "When I got to the line I really couldn't believe it and then my legs couldn't believe it either and then they collapsed below me," Kamara said. "It was so emotional getting around that track. I'm back, I know I'm not really back but I am back, yeah."
Jack Kamara expressed his pride, stating, "I'm so proud. He's come a long way. He could barely walk a few years ago so to do that is just unbelievable. I know he says it all the time but it's just crazy."
Shephard, a friend of Kamara's, described the challenge as extraordinary. "You cannot underestimate what an extraordinary challenge Kammy set himself by agreeing to do this. It was a privilege for me to run alongside one of my best mates," he said. "Because every step of the way we had to be careful of Kammy's balance. So it was, the concentration of everybody. But he just didn't stop. He was relentless."
Shephard added, "And like he said, the emotion crossing the line was off the charts. Running along here, the noise from the crowd was sensational. For me it's a privilege to watch you battle but to see how the family have supported Kammy every step of the way and it's not been easy and that was something I will cherish for the rest of my life sharing that with you."
In a previous interview with ITV's This Morning, Kamara acknowledged the changes he has undergone but expressed optimism. "I'm feeling great, my voice has quickened up and I'm so much better," he said. "I'm great. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not the same person as I was, but I accept the new me now, and everybody else seems to accept it, so you get on with life."
He explained the nature of his condition: "I had apraxia of speech, a brain injury. So, the message from the brain to the mouth is interrupted. So, sometimes you can't speak, or you speak slower. [You have to] accept the person you are now and not crave the person you were before. And then you can get on."
