An intensive care consultant put his skills to good use when he saved the life of a fellow jogger during the Great North Run, before going on to complete the race.

Dr Chris Johnson stopped at around the six-mile mark of the race when he saw a runner collapsed at the side of the road, surrounded by people who were performing CPR and resuscitation.

The 35-year-old, who works at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, halted his own run in order to help the stricken man.

He said: “There was a police unit nearby and they brought a defibrillator, which was really the thing that saved his life. He got a couple of electric shocks from the defibrillator and his heart started to beat again.”

Dr Johnson then went with the patient as he was transported by ambulance to the nearby Freeman Hospital.

After dropping the man off, the same ambulance was used to transport Dr Johnson back to where he had stopped running, allowing him to complete the half marathon in just under four hours.

The consultant, who was running with the 201 Field Hospital team, said: “My official time is around 3 hours 59.

“I was away from the race for about an hour 45, so I think I managed to complete it in around about 2 hours 15.”

The patient is now recovering at the Freeman Hospital after what is understood to have been a heart issue, Newcastle Hospitals said.