Great North Run

Common card · No. 371260

The Great North Run, or AJ Bell Great North Run, is the largest half marathon in the world. It takes place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields. The run was devised by Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster. Since 2025, the run has sponsored and shared its branding with The Great North, a partnership of elected mayors across Northern England. The first Great North Run was staged on 28 June 1981, when 12,000 runners participated. By 2011, the number of participants had risen to 54,000. For the first year it was advertised as a local fun run; nearly thirty years on it has become one of the biggest running events in the world and the biggest in the UK. Only the London Marathon comes close to attracting similar numbers of athletes each year. The 1992 edition of the race incorporated the 1st IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. The event also has junior and mini races attached with...

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