Great North Run
The Bupa Great North Run is the second largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.
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 (Britain's second biggest road race every year since 1981) comes close to attracting similar numbers of athletes each year.
Read more about Great North Run: History, Sponsorship
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