In praise of Steve Cram, the Olympian who's not afraid to get his hands dirty as Sunderland City Runs return

Thousands of runners will set off on the Sunderland 10k and half marathon this weekend, many of them raising money for charity - and we wish them all the best.

The running events have become a firm part of Sunderland's sporting and cultural calendar. Every city needs a mass-participation race, just as every city needs a cinema (and we're certainly glad to see ours reopening this week).

Such events are a great way to bring people together, get people exercising, and showcase their location - in our case, the courses take in Sunderland's historic streets, wonderful parks and glorious coastline.

It's easy to take the events for granted, but thanks and praise are due to Steve Cram, who stepped in to save the day after the Great North 10k pulled out of Sunderland.

The first Sunderland City 10k took place in 2011 and has only grown from there, with this year seeing 4,000 people taking part in the 10k, half marathon and 3k events.

I've run both the 10k and half marathon a number of times over the years - as well as the shorter-lived Marathon of the North - and every time I've seen Steve out on the course, mucking in on the ground, shifting cones, cheering people on or radioing instructions to help keep the events running smoothly.

Entries are now closed for this year's races, sadly - but 'the Jarra Arra' also organises the Durham 5k and 10k events which take place in July, so if this weekend's events inspire you to lace up your trainers, you can still sign up to those.