Thousands of runners will take part in a rendition of the new national anthem God Save the King as part of tributes to Queen Elizabeth II at the start of the Great North Run.
The singing of the national anthem will take place at the event’s start line in Newcastle at around 10:45am.
It will follow a one minute silence, which is expected to be especially poignant due to the 60,000 runners taking part.
The eager crowd will first be addressed by Great North Run founder and president Brendan Foster ahead of the start of the 41st run.
Read more: Great North Run LIVE - All the important information here including times and road closures
There will then be a time of reflection led by a collection of the North East’s faith leaders of various religions and denominations.
They include:
- The Right Reverend Mark Wroe – Bishop of Berwick and Acting Bishop of Newcastle
- Bishop Robert Byrne – Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle
- Rabbi Aaron Lipsey – United Hebrew Congregation Newcastle
- Jaswinder Singh – North East Sikh Service
- Hari Shukla – Former director of the Tyne and Wear Racial Equality Council
- Abdul Basith Mohammed – Imam at Newcastle Central Mosque
- Fariba Hedayati – Bahá’ís Newcastle
Start line music & out on the course
The run’s organisers say elements of the runner and spectator experience will be more subdued.
The start line music will reflect the mood of the nation, setting the tone for what will be a poignant moment of remembrance for Queen Elizabeth II, while also celebrating the coming together of people raising much needed funds for worthy causes.
Red Arrows
This year's flypast has been cancelled.
Great North Run organisers announced that the event over the Tyne Bridge and display at the finish line in South Shields had been cancelled as the UK mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II
What can you do?
The organisers are encouraging everyone to “be mindful of the very sad and special circumstances” in which the event will be taking place.
“For some of you this will mean wearing a black armband, for others it might be a message on your race number – please consider your plans to ensure they are respectful of the occasion,” they added.
Read next:
Darlington wife to do Great North Run in memory of husband and dad who died aged 36
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