The Great North Run is the largest half marathon in the world.
The 2022 race will see 60,000 runners taking on the 13 miles from Newcastle to South Shields. People will travel to the North East from across the globe to take part in the 41st event.
Following the sad death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, organisers cancelled the Great North 5k and the UK Athletics 5k Road Championships on Friday. They said they would "continue to assess" plans for the rest of the weekend.
Read more: Great North Run news: Updates as famous event WILL go ahead after Queen's death
On Friday, they confirmed that they would be going ahead with the event as planned. However they said elements of the runner and spectator experience will be more "subdued" out of respect to the Royal Family.
The Great North Run team said: "The event has traditionally been a celebration of the extraordinary achievements of ordinary people, this year it will be an opportunity for us to come together and express our condolences, while celebrating the life of our extraordinary Queen. The thousands of runners taking part are expected to raise an estimated £25 million pounds in much needed charitable donations, a fitting tribute to the Queen, who lived her life in the service of our country and its people.
"Whilst we want runners to enjoy the day, we will be encouraging everyone to be mindful of the very sad and very special circumstances in which the event will be taking place, and encourage them to communicate their respect in whichever way they feel appropriate."
There are millions of pounds raised each year for charities by runners taking part in the UK's biggest running event. There have also been many world record attempts carried out at the event.
The Great North Run itself holds the Guinness World Record for the largest half marathon. There are 10 other current world records which have been achieved at the half marathon.
Below is a collection of the Guinness World Records which have been set in recent years.
Largest half marathon
The largest half marathon was achieved by The Great North Run (UK) from Newcastle to South Shields on September 7, 2014. There were 41,615 runners.
Most wins of the Great North Run (male)
Sir Mo Farah (UK born in Somalia) holds the world record as the male with the most wins of the Great North Run. He has won the event six times consecutively between 2014 and 2019. Sir Mo Farah won his sixth Great North Run with a personal best time of 59 minutes and seven seconds on September 8, 2019.
Most wins of the Great North Run (female)
Three women have won the Great North Run three times. Lisa Ondieki (Australia, then Lisa Martin) won the event in 1986, 1987 and 1989.
Liz McColgan (UK) won the Great North Run in 1992, 1995 and 1996. Mary Keitany (Kenya) came first place in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
Keitany also holds the women's course record of 1:05.39, set in 2014.
Fastest half marathon dressed as a scientist (male)
Gower Tan (UK) holds the world record for the fastest half marathon dressed as a scientist (male). He achieved his record of one hour, 30 minutes and 37 seconds at his 8th Great North Run on September 12, 2021. Gower has been fundraising and volunteering with Cancer Research UK for over 10 years, raising over £50,000 to date. To boost awareness and fundraising, he decided to run dressed as s scientist, highlighting the lifesaving scientific research CRUK undertake. To further boost publicity and support, he decided to attempt a Guinness World Records title, and was successful in achieving the record.
Fastest half marathon dressed as a mammal (female)
Chris Green aka Rhino Boy (UK) holds the world record for the fastest half marathon dressed as a mammal (male). His record is one hour, 50 minutes and five seconds was achieved on September 12, 2021. This is Chris’ second Guinness World Records title, having previously achieved the full marathon record with the same costume in a time of 4 hours, six minutes and 35 seconds.
Fastest half marathon wearing high heels (female)
Holly Ferguson (UK) holds the world record for completing the fastest half marathon wearing high heels (female).
She achieved the world record with her time of three hours, 35 minutes and 52 seconds. It was achieved at the Great North Run on September 8, 2019.
Holly was dressed as Harley Quinn and ran with her firefighter colleagues. They were all dressed as superheroes and villains.
Fastest half marathon dressed as a book character
Alex Black (UK) holds the world record for the fastest half marathon dressed as a book character. His record is one hour, 19 minutes and 18 seconds.
He achieved the record at the Great North Run on September 8, 2019. He was dressed as Harry Potter and raised funds for a local charity.
Fastest half marathon in a superhero costume (female)
Alyson Dixon (UK) achieved the world record for the fastest half marathon in a superhero costume (female). She ran the Simplyhealth Great North Run 2019 wearing the original Wonder Woman costume. Her record is one hour, 18 minutes and 26 seconds and was achieved on September 8, 2019.
Fastest half marathon in a non-racing wheelchair (one arm, one leg)
Lee Williamson (UK) holds the record for the fastest half marathon in a non-racing wheelchair (one arm, one leg). His record is two hours, 39 minutes and six seconds. Lee achieved the record during the Great North Run 2019 on September 8, 2019.
Fastest half marathon dressed as a rotating puzzle cube (male)
Ian Stewart has the world record for the fastest half marathon dressed as a rotating puzzle cube (male). His record is one hour, 53 minutes and 38 seconds and was achieved at the Great North Run on September 9, 2018. Ian raised funds for Asthma Research UK.
Fastest half marathon dressed as a gingerbread person (male)
Ian Pickett (UK) holds the world record for the fastest half marathon dressed as a gingerbread man. He achieved the record of one hour, 29 minutes and 00 seconds at the Great North Run on September 9, 2018. He used his attempt to raise funds for GroceryAid, which is a charity he has previously supported. Achieving a world record has been a lifelong ambition for Ian.
Read more:
-
Great North Run will go ahead following death of Queen Elizabeth II
-
Shops, football and strikes: Everything that will be cancelled or closed following the Queen's death
-
When Newcastle vs West Ham may be played and when Magpies could return to Premier League action
-
King Charles III pays tribute to his 'beloved mother' after Queen's death at 96
