About 60,000 runners take part in 44th Great North Run on Tyneside
The half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields features elite fields, celebrity starters and a Red Arrows flypast as tens of thousands line the route
About 60,000 runners descended on Tyneside on Sunday for the 44th Great North Run, one of the world’s largest half marathons, which started in Newcastle and finished in South Shields. The event drew more than 200,000 spectators along the 13.1-mile (21km) route, organisers said, and featured a Red Arrows flyover at the start and a display at the finish.
As is customary, high-profile figures were on hand for the start. Newcastle United players Jacob Murphy and Nick Pope were among those to see the field off, and broadcaster and fitness coach Joe Wicks was taking part in the main race after helping launch Saturday’s Junior Great North Run.
The race follows a route from Newcastle through Gateshead and South Tyneside before finishing on the seafront at South Shields. The elite wheelchair race began at 10:20 BST, followed by the elite women at 10:25 and the visually impaired race at 10:27. The elite men and mass waves set off at 10:50, with public waves continuing until about 12:00 to manage the large field.
Elite athletes took part alongside the masses. Scottish runner Eilish McColgan was among the professionals in the elite women's field, aiming to continue her family’s successes in the event. Many amateur runners were participating to raise money for charities.
Sir Brendan Foster, the event’s founder, said the Great North Run had grown in scale and popularity since its inception and pointed to demographic changes among participants. "It's more popular, more famous, more in demand...the whole dimension of the thing is much bigger," he said, noting an increase in younger runners and a rise in female participation. He stated that while women made up about 8% of entrants in the first run, they accounted for 49% of runners last year.
Spectators lined key points along the course to cheer runners, with crowd density high at well-known landmarks and at the finish in South Shields, where organisers planned a series of post-race displays and celebrations, including the Red Arrows' final flypast.
The Great North Run, now in its fourth decade, remains one of the region’s largest mass-participation sporting events and a major fundraising platform for charities across the UK. Organisers emphasised safety and logistical arrangements for the large field and high spectator turnout, with marshals and medical teams deployed along the route.
