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Great North Run organisers praise Go North East as part of record-breaking year celebrations
In the year Olympic champion, Mo Farah, made history by becoming the first male runner to win three consecutive Great North Runs,Go North East has been recognised for helping make the 36th annual half-marathon a success.
A celebration evening, presented by founder of the world-renowned race, Brendan Foster and co-host, race director Nigel Gough, thanked the scores of partners, suppliers and volunteers that helped to make this year’s famous Great North Run an inspiring, and historic success.
Since the Run’s conception in 1981, Go North East has supported the sporting showpiece. This year it aided the 42,000 runners, by providing dedicated baggage and commercial bus services throughout the day.
38 baggage bus services were allocated to 2016’s event, allowing runners to conveniently store their belongings in advance of the race before being transported to the finish line for collection.
To help cope with increased demand, Go North East also added 30 additional services on race day, helping to transport the estimated 650,000 spectators to their destinations along the route, which begins in Newcastle and finishes in South Shields.
The Great North Run Review Evening, held at Wylam Brewery in Newcastle on 21 November, honoured the region’s biggest bus company for continuing to go the extra mile as an integral partner of the half marathon.
Stephen King, Head of Marketing and Retail at Go North East said: “The Great North Run is a significant event in the regional sporting calendar and we are extremely proud to work with the organisers year-on-year to ensure its success.
“We play a pivotal role in transporting a vast proportion of the North East’s tourists. This year we’ve provided transport support at a record number of high-profile, large-scale events in the area. Along with the Great North Run, this has included Kynren, the Sunderland Air Show and Newcastle Pride.”
The 2016 race marked a record-breaking year for the event as four-time ‘double double’ Olympic champion, Mo Farah made history by becoming the first male runner to win three consecutive Great North Runs.
The world class athlete wasn’t the only well-known face among the 57,000 runners in the famous race. Celebrities from the world of sport, television and comedy donned their running shoes to pound the streets. They included former footballers Kevin Kilbane and Michael Gray, soap stars Andy Newton-Lee, Matthew Wolfenden and Eden Taylor Draper, comedians Jon Culshaw and Patrick Monahan plus model Nell McAndrew.
A global theme also ran through 2016, with 178 countries registered for the half marathon – the most represented than any other running event in history.
Established in 1981, the Great North Run has grown to become the world’s biggest half marathon, attracting thousands of participants and spectators each year.
The 2017 Great North Run will take place on 10 September. For more information, visit www.greatrun.org/.
