Great North Run charity places for 2026

The Great North Run is the main event of an exciting weekend of running for all ages and abilities, kicking off with a fun and fast 5K on the Friday followed by a schedule of junior events on the Saturday.

Timetable

• 10:00 | BBC Live TV programme starts
• 10:20 | Elite Wheelchair athletes start
• 10:25 | Elite Women start
• 10:27 | Visually impaired participants start
• 10:35 | Warm up
• 10:50 | Elite Men and masses start
• 11:30 | Red Arrows flypast over Tyne Bridge
• 13:45 | Red Arrows display at South Shields

Wheelchair entrants

The Great North Run is suitable for wheelchair users. The entry form asks if you are a wheelchair user and if you will be participating in a self-propelled racing wheelchair or a standard wheelchair with assistance (pushed).

Event HQ

The Town Moor
Grandstand Road
Newcastle
Tyne and Wear
UK

Start/finish

The Great North Run starts on the A167 close to Claremont Road. Runners make their way to the finish at South Shields after a final mile-long seafront stretch.

Baggage

Baggage buses will depart at different times depending on wave. You will receive a baggage label to fill in. Baggage facilities are located at your Runner's Hub. You will need your run number to access the buses to drop your bags off and collect them at the finish.

Start pens

When you receive your run number, you'll also be assigned a wave (striped, orange, green or pink). Your wave colour will determine all kinds of essential information, including your arrival time, arrival route, and assembly time.

Due to the size and scale of the event, there are staggered arrival times depending on your wave colour. This is to make sure that there is a steady flow of participants arriving to assemble, and participants aren't waiting too long to cross the start line. Full details and timings will be in your Event Guide.

Travel tips

To travel to the event, public transport is recommended as there will be several road closures in place for the weekend. There will be personalised travel plans and updates for your wave start, detailed in your Event Guide.

Great North Run Travel Assistant

The smartest way to plan your travel is with the Great North Run travel assistant. With tailored routing and event-specific options, you can benefit from the ability to make low-carbon travel simple.

Great North Run Rover Day Ticket

The top tip for travelling on event day is to buy a wristband for £6.50. These can be used by runners and spectators to travel all day on event day on Tyne and Wear Metro, any bus service, the Shields Ferry and Northern Trains between Newcastle and Sunderland.

By Metro

Each wave colour has a recommended station to disembark. Striped and Orange are Jesmond Station; Green and Pink are Haymarket Station.

By Bus

The nearest bus stations to the start are Haymarket and Eldon Square.

By Ferry

The Shields Ferry will operate from 8am between North Shields and South Shields, and will run until around 6pm.

By Car

Parking and access are severely restricted over the weekend, however there will be advice for drivers in your Event Guide.

GPX route

The route is displayed on the map above.

Highlights

• The Great North Run is a point-to-point run starting at Town Moor in Newcastle Town Centre
• The course heads to the coast via the Tyne Bridge, Gateshead town centre and South Tyneside
• The run finishes in South Shields after a classic mile-long run along the coast road

How hard is it?

The route has both uphill and downhill sections. Miles 1-2, 5-8 and 12-13.1 are mainly downhill, whereas many runners report that they find miles 8-12 the toughest section - there’s quite a bit of uphill during this four-mile stretch. But don’t worry - there’s music, entertainment and thousands of supporters at every turn to help keep you going.

The full route is the normal half marathon distance of 13.1 miles or 21 km and usually takes runners anywhere between an hour (for the elites) to several hours for those out enjoying themselves and soaking up the great atmosphere.

Map

Water stations

There are six water stations along the course to help you stay hydrated.

Medical support

There are 15 medical stations along the course, with the majority being in the final miles.

Pacers

Achieve your best time with the help of the SOLGAR pacers. Follow a pacer marked with the time you want to achieve and pace your run to perfection.

Tips to hit your target time

• Be comfortable

  Ideally, run in your shoes for at least a month before your Great Run challenge.

• Stay warm

  Bring old clothes to wear on the start line and throw them away when you start (they will go to charity).

• Avoid chafing

  Apply Vaseline to areas prone to chafing.

• Maintain a steady pace

  If the first few miles are crowded, don't tire yourself out dodging in and out. Follow your chosen pacer, who will prevent you from going off too fast.

• Drink if needed

  Don't take big gulps if you're not thirsty - you could put yourself in a condition called hyponatraemia where your body salts become diluted.

Cut off

4 hours 10 minutes.

All participants should be fit, able and willing to complete the event within 4 hours 10 minutes. Any runner who has not reached the 8-mile point by 14:50 will be escorted onto the pavement by the last runner support team. You will still be assisted in your journey to the finish, but you must remain on the pavement.

There is also the option to board the welfare bus to the finish, or one of the buggies further into the course, allowing you to complete the remainder of the event within the timescale.

Joined-up Public transport

Local transport companies have teamed up to offer a simple multi-use travel ticket for event weekend, to help reduce traffic congestion.

Sustainability Policy

To maximise the positive impact of mass participation events, this event focuses on many aspects of sustainability including:

• Reducing plastic
• Reducing waste
• Cutting carbon emissions
• Responsible procurement

In addition, it is striving to improve performance even further by making sure that sustainability is embedded at the heart of the organisation and culture.

The greatest reward in taking part is the sense of achievement as you cross the finish line, but by taking your place on the Great North Run start line, you’re already part of something really special. This event is renowned for being well-organised, safe, and inclusive and the atmosphere and support is always unbelievable.

Included

• The medal

  Every finisher gets a medal - and it’s big, it’s shiny and it’s perfect for showing off to your pals.

• The app

  Download the free event app to track runners, make a donation and more - whether spectating or on the start line.

• The discounts

  Enjoy exclusive discounts for 12 months after your entry. Running feels good, but money off feels even better.

Optional extras

• iTab

  Make your medal personal - order yours today.

• The photos

  Action shots available! The team of photographers are ready and waiting to capture your finest moment.

Event app

The Great Run app is free, providing live tracking on event day. Family and friends can see your location and track your progress on the interactive map, with times and current pace updated within seconds of crossing each split point. Features include:

• Live tracking
• Push notifications
• Live leaderboards
• Event day updates

What's included for charity runners

When the going gets tough, your admirers step in! As 'masters of motivation', your chosen cause will spur you on and provide plenty of perks in the process:

• Fundraising support

  Charities know that raising money is all part of the challenge, which is why they provide advice, branded materials and a personalised online fundraising page to help the donations roll in. Think eye-catching videos for social and traditional collection tins too.

• Training support

  Whether this is your first run or your fiftieth, you'll need to train for it! You'll receive an in-depth training plan with guidance, plus many charities have access to expert coaches and elite runners too, who can provide exclusive tips for your race preparation.

• Branded vest/t-shirt

  When you show up on the day, people need to be able to see clearly that you're supporting a charity. Most charities will give you a branded and personalised t-shirt or vest to run in on the big day, and often a training top too.

• Cheer points

  When you're partway through your run and your energy is flagging, what you need is a boost from cheering spectators to keep you moving. Many charities set up a cheer station along the route, keeping an eye out for you to send up a huge cheer as you run past!

• Hospitality

  Refreshments and an indulgent post-race sports massage are often provided by charities for their runners. This is the perfect way to recover alongside other people who have run for that cause.

• Exclusive social groups

  You won't be the only person running for that charity, so it's well worth meeting other runners through the charity's invite-only social media pages! You can organise to meet up for training runs, chat with the charity's expert coaches and share tips and stories with each other to keep the motivation levels running high.

Fundraising tips

The key to a guaranteed place in the Great North Run is pledging to raise money for charity, but how do you start? Here are some quick wins to hit your pledge:

• Start fundraising early

  Starting your fundraising early gives you the best chance of reaching – and even exceeding – your sponsorship goal.

• Make it known

  Keep talking about your fundraising target to your friends, family, colleagues, social media followers - everyone!

• Have some fun

  Seize the chance to make it your own: sell unwanted clothing online, hold an afternoon tea, host a ticketed dinner party, wash some cars, shave your beard; be inspired!

Best in the world. This event cannot get better.

The spectators made it feel really special and every charity station cheered me on. The medal and goody bag were top notch. I'd highly recommend this race.

Love it, will go back every year. I have done the Great North Run 10 times over many years. It's always a special and different event every year.

The best event ever. My sixth consecutive and I intend to keep going. Everything is superbly organised, it's like a massive family. The volunteers are amazing.

So many wonderful supporters and volunteers made it a fantastic day. Running over the Tyne Bridge with the Red Arrows overhead is something I'll never forget!

Great day. Great weather. Great atmosphere. Great supporters. Great experience. Great time. Great North Run.

The Great North Run was a brilliant experience and a very well-organised event. There was a fantastic atmosphere with incredible support.

Such a friendly and encouraging event and a credit to the region.

The crowds and entertainment that support the run are absolutely outstanding.