Fifth Outing For Gurkhas At Great North 10K
Entries for the Great North 10k Family Mile and Great North 10k Toddler Dash remain open at: Greatrun.org/North10k
The Gurkhas will once again be out in force at the Great North 10k Gateshead in July.
Around 200 of the Nepalese soldiers, based at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, will take part in the North-East's biggest 10k on Sunday, July 3.
The 10k is the sister event to the Great North Run and will see a record 5,000 runners cross the finish line on the athletics track inside Gateshead International Stadium.
The Gurkhas are a fixture of the 6.2-mile event, with this year's staging representing their fifth outing in Tyneside.
Currently undergoing a 39-week training course, the event is a key part of their fitness training and introduces them to the UK as part of their cultural orientation programme.
Sgt Jitendra Tamang said: “We feel very proud to be taking part in the Great North 10K again. We are very excited because we will gain a new experience helping us to enhance camaraderie and sportsmanship.
“The Gurkhas are coming – Aayo Gurkhali!”
David Hart, communications director at The Great Run Company said: “This is the fifth year that we have welcomed the Gurkhas to the Great North 10k, and we are delighted that they have once again chosen this event to continue their training.
“The participants always get behind the soldiers and love running alongside them, and we're sure that this year will be no different.”
Now in its eighth year, the Great North 10k takes in iconic landmarks on the NewcastleGateshead Quayside including concert venue Sage Gateshead, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
The run finishes in Gateshead International Stadium, the same location as its relation, Britain's first-ever fun run. Organised for Gateshead Council by Brendan Foster, chairman of the Great Run Company, the 1977 Gateshead Fun Run was a two-mile event which started and finished on the track.
In 2013, Great North 10K organisers invited those who participated in the 1977 event to come back and take part in the event's newest incarnation.
Entries for the Great North 10k Gateshead have now reached capacity, but you can still be a part of a great day of sport in the North East by entering the Great North 10k Family Events.
The Great North 10k Family Mile and Great North 10k Toddler Dash are new for 2016 and feature a shorter running distance for families who want to run, jog or walk their way around a course that starts and finishes inside Gateshead International Stadium.
To enter the Great North 10k Family Events, visit Greatrun.org/North10k
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