Well what a day it’s been – tens of thousands of runners, glorious sunshine, crowds along the route and even the Prime Minister! Well done to everyone who completed the course today but more especially to our four Eccleshill heroes. Taking on the 13.1 mile challenge this year were Sarah Rawlings, Debra Grant, Garry Ellison & Sarah Myers. This year’s race proved to be incredibly warm and the light, cool breeze was doing little to provide relief to the runners. The Great North Run has always been about far more than the runners at the front, and its 45th edition provided perhaps the clearest demonstration yet. A record field of 63,000 took on the famous 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields today, making this the biggest Great North Run in its history. Race starter this year was Newcastle United captain Dan Burn, he sent the runners on their way before the familiar flood of colour poured across the Tyne Bridge. Immediately after the start the Red Arrows appeared overhead as thousands began journeys built around personal targets, charity fundraising, memories of loved ones and, for many, simply the ambition of reaching that South Shields finish line. Great Run estimated that more than 200,000 spectators lined the route, while around £25 million is expected to be generated for charitable causes across the weekend. Those numbers help explain why the Great North Run remains much more than a Half Marathon. More than 1.4 million people had already completed the event since its creation in 1981. Well done to all who ran but we are especially proud of our four representatives of 2026. Results are still TBC. For those of you with aspirations to run in the 2027 race the ballot is open until 23:59 on 20th September.
