Great North 10K see thousands of runners follow ‘exciting’ new route through Newcastle

See dozens of pictures of the Great North 10K in Newcastle which for the first time crossed the iconic Tyne Bridge twice

Sir Brendan Foster was delighted at the turnout for the city’s Great North 10k on Sunday when around 4,500 runners were in high spirits for the start of the event which, in a switch from the quayside, took a new city centre route that incorporated crossing the iconic Tyne Bridge twice.

With a slight change to the plans due to the continued closure of the northbound carriageway of the A167 following last week’s fire ^[1] , this year saw them follow in the footsteps of the Great North Run, starting in the same Central Motorway spot – en-route to the bridge – where former Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper was on hand to ring the starter bell. Run founder Sir Brendan ^[2] said he was delighted to see the “exciting” new route start and finish in the city for the first time, with runners passing other Newcastle landmarks, including Grey’s Monument, before finishing on the Town Moor.

“We’re thrilled about it,” he said. The Great Run Company event – which many people complete as part of their preparation for September’s Great North Run – was held in partnership ^[3] with Newcastle United Foundation ^[4] and among the runners were some raising funds for the foundation and wearing black and white-stripe run numbers.

There were plenty of others with stories to tell too, including disability advocate Claire Lomas who was joining a group from law firm Clifford Chance – one of the local businesses taking part in a competition to find the ‘fastest team in toon’ – in support of her Claire’s Challenge charity set up to raise money for spinal injury research.

And with a sense of achievement afterwards for all those involved, runners enjoyed some well-deserved celebrations, as the AJ Bell-sponsored Great North 10k ^[6] wrapped up with live bands and an Après Run village at the finish line with stalls, street food, sports games and even an interactive karaoke zone.

References

^{^} following last week’s fire (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
^{^} Sir Brendan (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
^{^} held in partnership (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
^{^} Newcastle United Foundation (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
^{^}