Sun, 13 Sept 2026 · Athletics

Hotels for Great North Run 2026

Name: Great North Run 2026
Start: 2026-09-13T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2026-09-13T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

At Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne on Sun, 13 Sept 2026. 36 hotels within 3km — book close and walk back after the show.

Check live prices for Sun, 13 Sept 2026 →

About Great North Run 2026

The Great North Run is the world's biggest and most beloved half marathon — 60,000 runners streaming from the heart of Newcastle, over the Tyne Bridge, along the coast to the seafront finish at South Shields. The 2026 race is confirmed for Sunday 13 September. The course, the crowd and the city make it a uniquely British occasion: the roar off the Tyne Bridge, the cheering along the Gateshead highway and the carnival atmosphere at the finish have made it one of the defining fixtures of the sporting calendar. Newcastle fills on race weekend, so book ahead. Stay in the city centre for the start, or in South Shields or Sunderland for the finish, with the Newcastle metro linking the whole corridor throughout the day.

History

The Great North Run was founded in 1981 by Brendan Foster, the Olympic and Commonwealth medal-winning runner turned race organiser, who wanted Britain to have a mass-participation road race of the kind he'd seen abroad. The first run, on 28 June 1981, drew just over 12,000 runners from Newcastle to South Shields — a serious field for the time, and one that grew steadily year on year. By 2014 it had recorded its millionth finisher and set a Guinness World Record for the largest half marathon ever held, and it remains one of the biggest half marathons anywhere, drawing entrants from well over a hundred countries in some years. The route hasn't changed in essence since 1981: out of Newcastle, over the Tyne Bridge, along the coast road to the finish by the sea at South Shields.

Records & quirks

Martin Mathathi's 58:56, run in 2011, is still the men's course record.
Sir Mo Farah's six consecutive wins, from 2014 to 2019, are a men's record no one else has matched.
Mary Keitany's 1:05:39, set in 2014, remains the women's course record.