Great North Run Ballot Closing Soon
TIME is running out to enter the ballot for a place in this year’s Simplyhealth Great North Run.
With 57,000 successful entrants from more than 100,000 applications, the world’s biggest half marathon is one of the must-do events in the running calendar.
The general entry ballot closes on Monday, February 6, with potential participants urged to sign up now to avoid missing out.
Taking place on September 10, the Simplyhealth Great North Run is in its 37th year, increasing in size, scale and significance since its first staging in 1981 where 12,000 people followed the now iconic route from Newcastle to South Shields.
The event reached a major milestone in 2014 when Tracey Cramond became the millionth finisher over the line – the first running event in the world to reach the figure.
It is famed for its stellar cast of some of the world’s greatest runners having competed in Tyneside, with Sir Mo Farah winning an unprecedented third Great North Run in a row in 2016. Paula Radcliffe, Liz McColgan, Sonia O’Sullivan, Kenenisa Bekele, David Weir and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson have all taken victories in the event.
Last year, it cemented its position as the World’s Favourite Run when it welcomed runners from 178 United Nations member states – a world-first in a running event.
More than two thirds of participants in the Simplyhealth Great North Run raise money for charity, with an estimated £26million raised for good causes in 2016 alone.
To enter the general entry ballot, visit greatrun.org/north. Applicants will be notified by February 10 whether they have been successful or not.
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