57,000 runners set to take part

THE world’s biggest half marathon is set to once again attract 57,000 runners to the North-East, forming the pinnacle of a weekend of top-class athletics action.

Sunday will see the 37th staging of the Simplyhealth Great North Run on the 13.1 mile course between Newcastle and South Shields.

The event, broadcast live to millions every year on television, has been inspiring thousands of people to get active since its inception in 1981.

Race founder Brendan Foster is to be the official race starter for first time.

He said: “It will fulfil a long standing ambition to see the start and wish everyone all the best.

“When my colleagues at The Great Run Company suggested I should be the starter, I realised I’d actually never seen everyone set off. 
“At least I’ll have a proper job on the day now and I’m really looking forward to the new experience.”

Sir Mo Farah, who has been competing since 2013, will be gunning to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Great North Run title.

Great Britain’s greatest ever athlete retired from the track this month, winning gold and silver at the World Athletics Championships in London to add to his four Olympic golds and five World Championship golds, in a track career spanning more than a decade.

Farah came second in his first outing and winning in 2014, 2015 and 2016. 

A fourth win for Farah would equal the late Benson Masya’s record, with the Kenyan achieving his quartet of victories in the 1990s.

Farah will face competition for the top spot from Americans Bernard Lagat and Dathan Ritzenhein, who finished second last year, while New Zealand twins Jake and Zane Robertson will bid to become the first Kiwis to win the Great North Run.

In the women’s elite race, Olympic and World champion Vivian Cheruiyot will return to Tyneside to defend her title.

The four-time Olympic and five-time World Championship medallist will face stiff opposition with marathon world record holder Mary Keitany and

Kenyan compatriot Betsy Saina also in contention. 

Local interest will come from Aly Dixon, the Sunderland Stroller who competed in this summer’s World Championships marathon in London.

This year’s event is the first under the title sponsorship of Simplyhealth, the UK provider of everyday health cash plans, dental payment and pet health plans.

Chief executive officer Romana Abdin said: “The weekend represents the best of human endeavour.

“This amazing celebration of movement brings people together and demonstrates that no matter what your age, ability or gender, you can achieve ‘greatness’ on your own terms. 

“It doesn’t matter whether that’s running, walking or wheeling; just being one of the millions moving is reward in itself.” 

As ever, the run will be stacked with celebrity runners from the screen and stage, with TV presenter Davina McCall taking on the iconic half marathon for the first time. 

BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth is also running, while George Rainsford, who plays Ethan Hardy in BBC One drama Casualty, also returns to Tyneside.

Fitness blogger and endurance runner Susie Chan will participate, as will Olympians Gail Emms and Katharine Merry, with Katharine running as one of the Duracell Pacers.

Three professional cricketers will take time off from their day jobs to run their first half marathons, England and Durham opener Keaton Jennings will be joined by Durham teammates Chris Rushworth and Michael Richardson.

On Sunday, more than 20,000 entrants will be raising money for their chosen charity, a record amount in the Great North Run. 

Last year, an estimated £26million was raised for good causes from the event.

The Red Arrows’ traditional fly-past over the Tyne Bridge will be returning once again as runners begin their half marathon from Newcastle.

The Simplyhealth Great North Run takes place on Sunday and is broadcast live on BBC One HD from 9.30am until 1.30pm, with highlights on BBC Two at 6pm.

It all gets underway on Saturday

THE biggest sporting weekend in the North-East kicks off on Saturday when celebrity chef and campaigner Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall fires the starting gun before running the Simplyhealth Great North 5k. 

The 5k is followed by the Simplyhealth Junior and Mini Great North Run, the UK’s biggest children’s running event. 

Star athletes competing in Sunday’s Simplyhealth Great North Run will set over 6,500 young runners, budding athletes and school friends on their way around the 1.5k and 4k courses.

Also on Saturday, some of Great Britain’s best athletes including Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Jonnie Peacock will be competing at the Great North CityGames, a live, televised athletics event in a pop-up arena on the Newcastle and Gateshead quayside.

The police operation

A MAJOR police operation is being put in place to keep runners and spectators safe this weekend.

Northumbria Police is finalising its plans as the force prepares to welcome tens of thousands of people to the region for the Great North Run.

Senior officers, race organisers, local authorities and the public transport providers have been working for several months to ensure the event passes without incident.

Chief Inspector Jamie Pitt, who will be the Silver Commander for the run, said he is eager to welcome people to the North-East from across the world.

He said: "The Great North Run is an amazing event and we here at Northumbria Police are looking forward to meeting competitors and spectators from every corner of the globe.

“I have worked the Great North Run in previous years and I do so with pride again this year. The atmosphere from the public is fantastic and it is a joy to be involved in.

"A number of our police officers and police staff will also be running the race and we are proud to give them our full backing as they push hard for their final few days of training ahead of next weekend.

"Those officers on duty will be highly visible all along the race route that will be able to assist with any concerns or questions runners or spectators may have.”

Road closures in Newcastle, Gateshead and along the 13.1 mile route to South Shields are being put in place.

People are being advised to use public transport to ease congestion.

Ch Insp Pitt said: “Roads will be very busy all throughout weekend but we have been extremely thorough in planning how we will manage traffic and road networks.

“We have been working tirelessly with local transport providers to ensure all public transport runs as smoothly and with as little disruption as possible.”

Police Cadets and Mini Police will be out in full force, as well as firearms officers who will be on patrol throughout the weekend.

Ch Insp Pitt said: “The Great North Run is such a fantastic spectacle and it fills me with pride to be able to help ensure it passes without incident.

“We are incredibly lucky to have an event like this take place in the North East. It is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase just how great our region is.”

How to get there

Metro

EXTRA Metro services will be running on Sunday but runners and spectators are still being advised to allow extra time for their journeys and to buy tickets in advance.

The additional trains will be running until early evening, when the timetable returns to normal, with services every seven and a half minutes between Newcastle city centre and South Shields, to help people to the start of the run, and home afterwards.

There will be about eight trains an hour from South Shields.

Metro services are expected to be very busy from early morning and throughout the day as the network supports about 85,000 people on the day of the Great North Run each year.

Metro Services director Chris Carson said: “A significant amount of planning has gone into this year’s Great North Run and extra resources are in place to manage the huge level of demand and to allow us to provide a good service to our customers on what is one of Metro’s busiest days of the year.

“However, I would advise customers to expect long queues and trains to be extremely busy. Runners and spectators should allow extra time for their journeys and purchase tickets in advance to avoid further queues at ticket machines on the day.

“We will have lots of staff on the ground at key locations across the network who will be able to provide advice and assistance to customers. We will clear queues as quickly as possible but it will take time so I would ask customers to remain patient.”

“We also want to make sure passengers are safe and as comfortable as possible when travelling throughout the day. Remember to stay hydrated before, during and after the run.

“Trains will be busy. If train windows are closed open them to help keep cool. And if you feel unwell leave the train and speak to staff at the station, or use the station Help Point to speak to staff.”

Special Great North Run tickets will be available from any Metro ticket machine by selecting GN Run 10/9 Adult or GN Run 10/9 Child.

Alternatively, Great North Run Metro wristbands are available to buy from Nexus TravelShops.

Some stations will be temporarily closed before and after the run to help with the movement of passengers, improve crowd control and manage the queues.

These include; Haymarket station – which will be exit only (no entry into the station) between 8am and 10.40am; Jesmond station – which will be closed from 10.40am until early afternoon; and Chichester station – which will be closed from 3pm until later in the evening.

Ferry

THE Shields Ferry will have both of its vessels operating in tandem for Sunday’s Great North Run, with 10,000 passengers expected to use the river crossing.

Nexus, the public body which owns and operates the cross-Tyne service, needs to have both ferries in use due to the huge volume of people who rely on the service to get from South Shields to North Shields after the run.

Ferry services will start on Sunday from 8.45am and will run until 6pm.

With both vessels running there will be a river crossing every seven and a half minutes, moving 1,300 passengers per hour during the busiest part of Sunday afternoon.

Extra staff will be on duty to manage the long queues in South Shields and to provide passengers with customer service.

The ferry queue will build from 1pm and will grow in numbers between 1pm and 3pm, reaching maximum capacity at about 3pm. Traditionally the last of the queue clears between 6.15pm and 6.30pm.

Shields Ferry manager Carol Timlin said: “The Great North Run is our busiest day of the year, so both of the ferries will be running to cope with the high demand. We will carry more passengers in that single day than at any other time of the year.

“There will be long queues to get on board but we will clear these as quickly as we can. Extra staff are going to be on duty to provide information and assistance to customers.”

All zone Metrosaver tickets and Metro Great North Run wristbands are valid for travel on the Shields Ferry.

Bus

STAGECOACH North-East is offering extra express bus services between the finish line, South Shields Ferry and Metro and Newcastle city centre.

Service 552 provides a link from near the finish line at Bents Park Road to South Shields Metro and across to South Shields Ferry Landing for £1.50 per single journey.

Service 553 provides the main direct express link to Newcastle city centre, with journeys taking 30 minutes for just £3.50 per single journey.

Both services run very frequently on the day, starting about 7am until 5pm or alternatively, customers can travel on Stagecoach buses throughout Tyne and Wear with the one day £4 Dayrider.

At South Shields, Service 553 departs from New Crown, Bents Park Road, close to the finish line. Before 8.15am, there is also a frequent Service 553 from Frenchman's Bay.

In Newcastle City Centre, Service 553 stops close to local and regional transport hubs at Haymarket Bus Station and Eldon Square Bus Station, as well as providing links to National Rail services at Central Station.

Great North Run in Statistics

• 8 double decker baggage buses
• Almost 1,500 calories burned per runner
• If all the barriers used on Simplyhealth Great North Run day were laid end to end, they would stretch for more than 6 miles
• 3,000 volunteers
• More than 140 countries represented
• 20,000 charity runners
• 310,464 bottles of water given to thirsty runners  
• Biggest contingent of runners from an individual club? 177 – Tyne Bridge Harriers  
• Biggest outside of region? 82 - Jog Scotland
• Oldestrunner? 96 Jarra Jim
• Youngest runner? 17 – turns 17 on 10/9
• Average age? 38
• Most popular age range? 36-45
• Most represented towns/cities outside the North-East? Leeds Carlisle Sheffield
• Most common surname? Smith
• Most common Christian name? Sarah Emma David Paul