The 27-year-old, who is preparing for his third season with the Kangaroos, had been expected to lead his young teammates home in the run at Lakeside Stadium on Wednesday.
Gibson finished comfortably clear of rookie Tim McGenniss and primary-listed runners Ryan Bastinac, Shaun Atley and Jamie Macmillan.
In further pleasing news for North fans, prized father-son draftee Luke McDonald came seventh.
"The nature of footy these days is you can't slack off too much," Gibson told NMFC.com.au.
"We've had a good break, but (will) train pretty hard so we are really excited and ready to go next year."
Veteran forward Drew Petrie also completed the run to kick-start his conditioning.
"I'm yet to miss a pre-season … this is my 14th, so I reckon if you can have a good four-month pre-season, then it will really hold you in good stead going into the home and away season," he said.
