Typical race-weekend conditions
Mild & mixed- High / Low
- 17° / 10°
- Humidity
- 81%
- Rainy days
- 43%
Averages from ~10 years of history around race day.
Know before you go
- Distance
- 21.1 km (13.1 miles)
- 🌫 Air quality
- Good
- 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+
- Welcoming
- 🛡 Safety
- Safe
Country-level indices: LGBTQ+ via Equaldex · safety via Global Peace Index 2025 . Air quality is recent PM2.5; money is indicative.
The route
The Great North Run is held from central Newcastle to a seafront finish at South Shields: a point-to-point classic that crosses the Tyne Bridge (Red Arrows flypast) then rolls out to the coast. Gently undulating with legendary crowds.
Start time
The 2027 race starts at 10:50 on the Central Motorway in Newcastle, with staggered wave starts — your wave colour and start time are printed on your race number. Haymarket, Monument and Jesmond Metro stations are a 15–20 minute walk from the start.
Entry fee
Indicative entry is £70 per runner. Confirm the current bib price on the official site; ballot, charity, and tour prices can differ. The 2027 ballot entry fee is £70, charged only if you are drawn. That is the race place only, not a hotel or travel. Charity places add a registration fee and a fundraising pledge set by the charity.
Registration
The September ballot for 2027 closed on 20 September 2026 and was drawn on 21 September. Unsuccessful entrants can try again in a January 2027 ballot (dates to be announced), or take a charity place. New 2027–2028 memberships, which skip the ballot, are sold out. Race numbers are posted to UK addresses two to three weeks before the race; overseas runners collect theirs from the information point on race weekend.
Where to stay
Newcastle city centre and Jesmond are a walk from the start, and every Metro from South Shields runs back into the centre. South Shields puts you at the finish but means a busy Metro into Newcastle on race morning. North Shields and Tynemouth pair a Metro to the start with the Shields Ferry back from the finish. Durham and Sunderland are the overflow when Tyneside is full.
Getting there
Newcastle Airport is around 20-25 minutes to the city centre on the Metro; the start is a short walk from central hotels.
That weekend
Race numbers arrive by post for UK runners, so there is no expo queue. The Great North 5K runs on Friday and the Junior and Mini Great North Run fills the Quayside on Saturday. Explore Newcastle's Quayside and the Angel of the North nearby.
Who it's for
Britain's bucket-list half for runners who want scale, the Tyne Bridge moment, and a seafront finish more than a pure PB. Ideal if you're UK-based (train/drive beats flying) or bringing family for a northern weekend. The course is gently undulating, not pancake-flat Valencia. Ballot demand is fierce; charity and other routes are how many first-timers get in.
Sample 4-day trip
Arrive, explore, race, then head home. A proper weekend, not a rushed fly-by.
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Day 1: Arrive
Arrive in Newcastle by train (often the best option from elsewhere in the UK) or fly into NCL. From the airport, the Metro reaches the city centre in about 20–25 minutes. Public transport works well and is what most runners use. A private transfer is optional unless you have a group or awkward bags.
Check into a hotel near the city-centre start . Keep the evening easy: Quayside wander, early dinner, early night. A city-to-coast race day rewards being rested.
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Day 2: Shakedown Run and Explore the City
Your race number arrives by post before the weekend if you live in the UK, so there is no bib collection to fit in (overseas runners collect from the information point ). An easy Quayside shakeout (Tyne Bridge views without hammering hills) is ideal, but expect crowds: the Junior and Mini Great North Run fills the Quayside on Saturday.
For the rest of the day: Quayside, a short museum, or simply sitting with a coffee. Browse Newcastle ideas if you want something booked. Carb dinner near the hotel; lay out kit and agree your post-finish plan. You finish in South Shields, not Newcastle.
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Day 3: Race Day
Walk to the central start from most city hotels, and leave early for the scale of this field. Enjoy the Tyne Bridge moment and the Red Arrows if the day cooperates. The course rolls out to a seafront finish at South Shields.
Before you celebrate, know how you are getting back to Newcastle: official transport, friends, or Metro/bus from the coast . Meeting points matter with this many finishers. A fish-and-chips or pub lunch near the finish (or back in town once reunited) is the proper reward; save sightseeing for tomorrow.
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Day 4: Final Day
Easy brunch, Angel of the North if energy remains, then train or Metro to the airport home. Three nights is kinder than a rushed weekend for anyone travelling from the south. You get a real northern break around Britain’s bucket-list half.
What drives the cost
No international flight means the estimate is dominated by entry and Newcastle hotels on race weekend, and both can surprise. Staying in the centre near the start is convenient but premium; South Shields is finish-side if you accept logistics. Three nights suits travellers from further afield; driving from elsewhere in the UK can undercut rail+hotel for a group. Activities are light; food and lodging are the real swing factors versus the calculator baseline.
Neighbourhoods and walk-to-start picks: Great North Run hotels: where to stay in 2027 .
