From the history and fascinating facts to the best places to watch, road closures, travel tips and where to refuel – here’s our Week2Week guide to one of the North East’s biggest weekends of the year.
There are certain events that simply feel part of the North East, and the Great North Run is undoubtedly one of them.
On Sunday 13 September 2026, an incredible 63,000 runners will take on the famous 13.1-mile journey from Newcastle upon Tyne to the coast at South Shields. This year marks 45 years of the Great North Run, with organisers describing 2026 as the biggest Great North Run yet.
For those of us who live and work here, Great North Run weekend is about much more than running. Newcastle fills with visitors, families arrive to support loved ones, restaurants buzz with pre-race excitement and thousands of spectators line the route.
At Week2Week, we’re fortunate to welcome guests from across the UK and overseas to the North East, and Great North Run weekend is always a memorable one. So whether you’re running, supporting or simply visiting Newcastle while it’s all happening, here’s our local guide.
Where did the Great North Run begin?
The story started with North East athletics legend Sir Brendan Foster.
After taking part in Auckland’s mass-participation Round the Bays event while training in New Zealand, Foster was inspired to create something similar back home in the North East. The first Great North Run was held on 28 June 1981, when more than 12,000 people lined up in Newcastle.
What followed became one of the region’s greatest success stories.
From its beginnings in 1981, the event has grown to become the world’s biggest half marathon, attracting elite athletes, enthusiastic club runners, charity fundraisers, first-timers and spectators from around the world.
And despite its enormous scale, the thing that arguably makes the Great North Run so special hasn’t changed: the people.
The encouragement from the crowds, music along the route, charity supporters, volunteers and famously warm North East welcome are every bit as important to the event as the 13.1 miles themselves.
Great North Run facts you might not know
One of our favourite stories comes from the very first race in 1981. Then England football captain Kevin Keegan took part wearing a half-Newcastle, half-Sunderland shirt. Having chosen football trainers for the run and developed blisters, he reportedly swapped trainers with a young spectator around mile 10 and carried on to finish in 490th place.
In 2014, the Great North Run became the first running event of its kind to welcome its one-millionth finisher. Tracey Cramond crossed the line in South Shields to claim that unique piece of Great North Run history.
The elite race has produced some extraordinary sporting moments too. Sir Mo Farah won six consecutive Great North Runs from 2014 to 2019, something no runner had achieved before him.
And in 2013, spectators witnessed a remarkable contest between three distance-running giants – Kenenisa Bekele, Mo Farah and Haile Gebrselassie – with Bekele eventually holding off Farah for the victory.
The 2026 route- from the city to the sea
Few running routes showcase the North East quite like this one.
The race begins on Newcastle’s A167 Central Motorway before heading towards perhaps the most recognisable moment of the entire event: thousands of runners crossing the Tyne Bridge.
From there, runners enter Gateshead and pass landmarks including Gateshead International Stadium. The course contains a gradual climb between miles three and five before becoming easier towards mile eight.
Then comes the section experienced Great North Runners know all too well. Miles eight to twelve include a sustained uphill stretch before runners are rewarded at around mile 12 with their first sight of the North Sea.
From there, it’s downhill towards South Shields and that unforgettable final stretch along the seafront.
The elite men and mass field are scheduled to begin at 10:50am, following the wheelchair, elite women’s and visually impaired starts.
Where are the best places to watch the Great North Run?
If you’ve come to support someone, our first piece of local advice is actually not to try to follow them around the entire course.
Nexus is advising spectators that, because of the number of people travelling and the pressure on Metro stations and trains, it can be extremely difficult to see the same runner at multiple locations. Choosing one good cheering point – or seeing them at the start and agreeing to reunite after the finish – can make for a much more enjoyable day.
For atmosphere, the Newcastle start area is hard to beat. Thousands of runners gathering together creates an incredible build-up before the race has even begun.
The Tyne Bridge is the iconic Great North Run location, but rather than trying to stand directly on the race route, the Newcastle and Gateshead Quaysides give you the chance to soak up the atmosphere around one of the most recognisable landmarks of the event.
On the Gateshead side, the area around the riverfront and Gateshead International Stadium is another lively section, while a recognised cheering point further along the course is around the A184 Felling Bypass near Heworth, where spectators can see runners from the pedestrian bridge.
For runners needing encouragement most, head towards the A183 Coast Road for the closing miles. They’re tired, they’ve tackled the long climb – and suddenly the North Sea appears.
Then, of course, there’s South Shields seafront. If you want emotion, celebrations, medals and thousands of people realising what they’ve just achieved, this is the place to be.
Great North Run 2026 road closures – plan before you travel
This is particularly important for anyone staying with us over Great North Run weekend.
Closures don’t begin only on Sunday. The Great North 5K takes place on Newcastle and Gateshead Quaysides on Friday 11 September, followed by the Junior and Mini Great North Run on Saturday 12 September.
On Friday, Newcastle Quayside is affected from 1pm, with closures around Sandhill, Swing Bridge, Close, Bottle Bank, Pipewellgate and South Shore Road/Hillgate at various times during the afternoon and evening. Some Quayside restrictions continue into Saturday.
Saturday’s Junior and Mini event again affects the Newcastle and Gateshead Quaysides, including Sandhill, Swing Bridge, Close, Pipewellgate, South Shore Road and Hillgate, with a number of closures operating from approximately 6am until 7pm.
For Sunday’s main event, restrictions are considerably more extensive.
In Newcastle, roads affected include the A167 Central Motorway, Tyne Bridge, Claremont Road and surrounding approaches, with some start-area closures beginning as early as 8pm on Saturday evening and remaining in place into Sunday.
Through Gateshead and towards South Tyneside, closures affect significant stretches of the A184, Felling Bypass, A194/Leam Lane, A1300 John Reid Road, Prince Edward Road and A183 Coast Road, as well as roads around the South Shields finish area.
Our Week2Week advice? Don’t rely on your normal driving route on Great North Run day.
Public transport is generally the easiest choice, but allow considerably more time than usual. Go North East is operating dedicated R1 shuttle buses between Newcastle and the South Shields finish area, including services from Newcastle to Bents Park from around 7am and return services after the event. A special Great North Run Day Rover is also available for travel across Metro, buses, the Shields Ferry and participating rail services.
Road closures and travel arrangements can change, so we always recommend checking the official Great North Run and Nexus information again before setting off.
Where to eat and drink over Great North Run weekend
One of the benefits of staying in a Week2Week apartment is having your own kitchen – particularly useful if you have a very particular pre-race breakfast planned!
But you’re also visiting a fantastic food and drink region, so it would be a shame not to explore.
Newcastle is embracing Great North Run weekend this year with a wider GNR Fringe, including a Runners’ Restaurant Weekend, pasta events, coffee events and other activities around the city.
If you’re arriving through Newcastle Central Station and need your first caffeine hit, Pink Lane Coffee is tucked away just off the station and is a popular independent option.
Down towards the river, Quay Ingredient is a handy choice for breakfast or lunch close to Newcastle Quayside. Just remember that access around the Quayside itself will be affected by the weekend’s events.
If you’re making a day of the Newcastle atmosphere, The Bridge Tavern sits beneath the Tyne Bridge and is a great setting for soaking up the city’s riverfront atmosphere after the runners have disappeared towards Gateshead.
For something more substantial on the Quayside, The Broad Chare is another established Newcastle favourite and makes a good option for supporters once they’ve finished cheering.
And once you reach South Shields…
This is where we’d recommend staying for a while rather than immediately joining the post-race transport queues.
Nexus itself suggests allowing the queues to reduce and making use of South Shields’ cafés, restaurants and pubs after the event.
You can’t really talk about food by South Shields seafront without mentioning Colmans Seafood Temple. Overlooking the coast, it’s an ideal location for the classic post-run fish and chips – although Great North Run Sunday is definitely not the day we’d leave booking a table until the last minute.
For something more relaxed, Sand Dancer is right by Sea Road and well placed for the finish-area atmosphere.
Or wander towards Ocean Road, one of South Shields’ best-known food streets. Italianish is one of the options there if you’ve worked up an appetite from either running 13.1 miles or enthusiastically spectating them.
Great North Run weekend is about more than Sunday
For 2026, the celebrations stretch well beyond the half marathon itself.
The Great North 5K takes place on the Quayside on Friday evening, while thousands of younger runners take centre stage for the Junior and Mini Great North Run on Saturday. Great Run has also introduced a wider programme of fringe activities around the region, from running events and restaurant offers to beach yoga, live entertainment and other activities.
It means that if you’re travelling to Newcastle for the race, it’s worth treating it as a Great North Run weekend, rather than arriving purely for Sunday morning.
Make Week2Week your North East base
Whether you’re the runner, the support crew or the person who’s agreed to carry everyone’s coats, having somewhere comfortable to come back to makes a big difference.
Week2Week’s fully furnished accommodation across Newcastle, Jesmond, Gateshead Quays and the wider North East gives guests the flexibility of their own living space and kitchen – particularly useful for groups and families travelling together.
You can prepare the breakfast you’ve trained with, keep race kit organised, put your feet up after exploring Newcastle and, most importantly, have somewhere that feels a little more like home during a very busy weekend.
Great North Run accommodation gets booked exceptionally early, so if you’re already thinking about Great North Run 2027, we’d recommend planning ahead rather than waiting until race weekend approaches.
Because whether you’re chasing a personal best, raising money for a charity close to your heart, supporting someone you love or simply experiencing the event for the first time, there’s something very special about seeing the North East come together for the Great North Run.
Good luck to everyone taking part – from all of us at Week2Week. We’ll be cheering you on! 💜
