BookRags.com Literature Guides Literature
Guides
Criticism & Essays Criticism &
Essays
Questions & Answers Questions &
Answers
Lesson Plans Lesson
Plans
My Bibliography Periodic Table U.S. Presidents Shakespeare Sonnet Shake-Up
Research Anything:        
History | Encyclopedias | Films | News | Create a Bibliography | More... Login | Register | Help
Not What You Meant?  There are 20 definitions for GNR.

Great North Run

Print-Friendly
About 3 pages (804 words)

Bookmark and Share Questions on this topic? Just ask!

The BUPA Great North Run is the world's most popular half marathon road running event[1]. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster. Foster was inspired after running in the Round the Bays Race in New Zealand in 1979. The first ever Great North Run was staged on the 28 June, 1981, when 12,000 runners participated. By 2003, the number of participants had risen to 47,000. For the first year it was advertised as a local fun run; twenty years on it has become one of the biggest running events in the world.In the UK only the London marathon and British 10K attract similar numbers of athletes each year. In recent years, a Great North Mile has also been held. In the 2004 Great North Mile race on Saturday 25 September, double Olympic Gold medalist Kelly Holmes made her first appearance in Britain since returning from the 2004 Summer Olympics. Holmes also fired the gun to start the main event on Sunday 26 September, and waved and shook hands with many of the 50,000 starters. In addition the The 'Tunnel 2K' international warm up race, on the day before the Great North run sees wheelchair athletes competing over a 2km course ran through the Tyne Tunnel between North and South Shields.

Contents

Winners of the men's race

Winners of the women's race

Winners of the men's wheelchair race

Winners of the women's wheelchair race

2005 Great North Run

In the 2005 Great North Run, the race celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. Events to mark the anniversary included the launch of the Great North Run Cultural Programme at the Sage Gateshead On race day itself, four participants died en-route to South Shields.

2006 Great North Run

Following the death of four runners in 2005, more emergency service personnel were brought in to ensure there was adequate cover, although on race day itself, one participant died en-route to South Shields.

2007 Great North Run

The 2007 Great North Run was held on 30 September and was started by Sir Bobby Robson. Kara Goucher defeated Paula Radcliffe in, what some may say, her greatest victory ever. Goucher's times was 1:06:57.

References

  1. ^ "Great North Run", BBC Sport. Retrieved on 2007-10-01. 

External links

An inquest into the four deaths from 2005 began on Monday 5 June 2006 at Gateshead Council Chambers

BBC News report on the 29 year old, unnamed Yorkshire man who died in the 2006 run.

External links relating to charities

View More Summaries on Great North Run
 
Ask any question on Great North Run and get it answered FAST!
Answer questions in BookRags Q&A and earn points toward
discounted or even FREE Study Guides and other BookRags products!
Learn more about BookRags Q&A
Copyrights
Great North Run from Wíkipedia. ©2006 by Wíkipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. View a list of authors or edit this article.

Article Navigation
Join BookRagslearn moreJoin BookRags




About BookRags | Customer Service | Report an Error | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy