Celebrating the extraordinary runners taking on this year’s AJ Bell Great North Run

For 44 years, ordinary people doing extraordinary things has been the bedrock of the Great North Run, the lifeblood of this iconic event that runs the famous 13.1 miles from city to sea each year.

60,000 runners pounding the streets, over 200,000 lining them in support. waving, cheering, and willing them on as the region comes together in unwavering support.

Running for those they love and those they have lost – their names on their backs to push them forward.

Some have completed every Great North Run since 1981; for many, this will be the first.

Some push for PBs; for most, just crossing the finish line is a moment to savour. Everyone stands on the start line alone but run together, united by this great event.

Every one of us is a story. But together, we are the Great North Run.

We are the Great North Run is a poem created by George Caulkin, North East Sports Correspondent for The Athletic/New York Times and a regular Great North Run participant.

60,000 runners and every one of them has a story – meet some of this year’s inspirational runners:

Samantha Thompson from South Shields running for Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) as a thank you for the support provided to the young family. At just 3 months old her son Bobby was admitted into the Freeman with the start of heart failure. What followed was 4 months of surgeries and prolonged stays in ICU. “Taking part in the Great North Run lets me give something back to a cause that’s been there for us through the worst time of our lives. It’s about honouring that journey and helping others.”

Tracey Wilson from Beccles in Suffolk who as a visually impaired person always likes to set herself challenges. With running the Great North Run on her bucket list, 2025 felt like the perfect opportunity to tick this off the list as part of her 50th Birthday celebrations. Her son volunteered to train with her and will run the race as her guide runner, a gesture that means a great deal to Tracey as get to achieve this together.

Barinderjit Singh Cheema AKA Usingh Bolt is taking on this year’s event as part of a extraordinary year-long challenge: running 50 ultramarathons (50Ks) before turning 50. A proud Geordie, he’s hoping to £50,000 and awareness for Teenage Cancer Trust by the end of his challenge, deeply inspired him through witnessing the strength of the young people the charity supports. Through every mile, he hopes to inspire others, especially first-time runners, to believe in what’s possible when passion, purpose, and a bit of Geordie pride come together.

Vanessa and Jenny Herbert Reading are honouring their brother’s text request to enter the Great North Run after he died from heart attack, just days after urging them to run it with him. Inspired by last year’s run, Mark, 49, signed up for the 2025 event, texting his sisters to enter it with him. That same week in October 2024, Mark died suddenly from a heart attack caused by undiagnosed coronary heart disease. The sisters have vowed to complete the half marathon in tribute and to raise money for British Heart Foundation. “We just knew we had to do this for Mark. He wanted us to do it together. We can’t do it with him, but we can do if for him.”

Anthony Knott from Ryton, Newcastle took up running at 40 to get fit for his future with son Alfie – but early into his training, noticed blood in his urine. Assuming it was a harmless runner’s issue, he delayed seeing a doctor for four months when tests revealed he had bladder cancer. One year and a major operation later, Anthony is now cancer-free and enjoying life, and hopes his story encourages other men not to ignore such symptoms.

Jacqueline Roe from Selby, North Yorks is taking on her first Great North Run in memory of her late husband, for her two daughters but most importantly for herself. After tragically losing her husband to suicide two years ago, a close friend gently suggested running as a way to heal in January 2024. From barely being able to run for 30 seconds, she’s now completed 5K and 10K races, joined a local running club and lost four stone in weight. Running has transformed her life! Completing the world’s biggest half marathon will be one of the proudest moments of her life – a symbol of resilience, growth, and the power of saying yes to a friend’s advice.

Rafi Solaiman from Worksop, Yorkshire is an award-winning Paralympic athlete, actor, and model living with cerebral palsy, after suffering brain haemorrhage, which left him needing to learn to walk and speak again at 12 years old. Through rehab he discovered frame running with one of his first frames supported by the Boparan Charity. After going onto represent Great Britain at three World Para Athletic Championships, bagging himself a gold and two silvers, Rafi has stepped up the challenge to 13.1 miles – determined to do it to raise money for the charity that supported him early on. “There are far to many negative stories in the world now, everyone is lacking a bit of spirit and heart. That’s why I’m taking on this challenge to inspire others to help themselves.”

The 2025 AJ Bell Great North Run, which once again will be broadcast live on BBC One, will also feature some of the world’s leading athletes competing at the front in the elite Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair races.”

Sign up to be the first to hear about the 2026 ballot at https://www.greatrun.org/events/great-north-run/. You can also find out more about this year’s Great North Run and the We are the GNR campaign.