Covid-19 (Coronavirus) And Great Run Events

UPDATE : 14 AUGUST 2020

The Great South Run, which was scheduled to take place on Sunday 18 October 2020 has been cancelled.

The decision to cancel the event has been taken given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meaning that going ahead with the event will be impossible. Runners who had a place in this year's event will be given the option to roll it over to the next Great South Run, currently scheduled to take place on 17 October 2021, or receive a refund of their entry fee. Organisers are in the process of contacting everyone who is signed up for the Great South  Run by email with further information.

Paul Foster, Chief Executive at the Great Run Company, said: “We understand this will be disappointing news to all those who were planning to take part, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority. 

“Over the past few months we have worked hard to try and find a way to stage the Great South Run while observing social distancing rules, and most importantly, not impacting on our local NHS. 
“However, as things stand, and even as the situation improves, it's not going to be possible to meet these goals with any certainty, and so we have concluded that the best course of action is to cancel. We are delighted to be able to offer our runners the opportunity to roll their place over and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2021. “We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding.”

Many of people taking on the challenge would have been doing it for charity; at this time charity donations are more important than ever before.  Paul Foster said: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge our runners take on, they put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months before. They should be able to celebrate that achievement. So to that end we have designed a virtual running challenge in place of the Great South Run so that runners can still put all those training miles to great use. Great South Run Solo kicks off on Tuesday 1 Sept. We are contacting all entrants with more detail on this in the coming days.”

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The Great East  Run, which was scheduled to take place on Sunday 20 September 2020 has been cancelled.

The decision to cancel the event has been taken given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meaning that going ahead with the event will be impossible. Runners who had a place in this year's event will be given the option to roll it over to the next Great East  Run, currently scheduled to take place on 26 September 2021, or receive a refund of their entry fee. Organisers are in the process of contacting everyone who is signed up for the Great East Run by email with further information.

Paul Foster, Chief Executive at the Great Run Company, said: “We understand this will be disappointing news to all those who were planning to take part, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority. “Over the past few months we have worked hard to try and find a way to stage the Great East Run while observing social distancing rules, and most importantly, not impacting on our local NHS. 
“However, as things stand, and even as the situation improves, it's not going to be possible to meet these goals with any certainty, and so we have concluded that the best course of action is to cancel. We are delighted to be able to offer our runners the opportunity to roll their place over and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2021. “We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding.”

Many of people taking on the challenge would have been doing it for charity; at this time charity donations are more important than ever before. Paul Foster said: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge our runners take on, they put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months before. They should be able to celebrate that achievement. We encourage those who were signed up to run the event to recognise all the hard work they have already put in and consider still passing on the money raised to the charity if possible.”

Other 2020 events which have been affected include:

Great Scottish Run – cancelled> for more information visit GreatScottishRun

Great Birmingham Run – cancelled > for more information visit GreatBirminghamRun

Great Bristol Half Marathon – cancelled > for more information visit GreatBristolHM

Great North Run, Great North 5k and Great North Junior and Mini Run – cancelled >for more information visit greatrun.org/north

Great North 10k and Great North Family Run – cancelled > for more information visit GreatNorth10k

Great Manchester Run and Junior and Family Great Manchester Run – cancelled> for more information visit GreatManchesterRun

Great Swim Series – cancelled > for more information visit GreatSwim.org

Ultra London – cancelled > for more information visit UltraLondon.co.uk

Ultra North – cancelled > for more information visit UltraNorth.co.uk

Great Birmingham 10k and Junior & Mini Great Birmingham Run – cancelled > for more information visit GreatRun.org/GreatBirmingham10k

Great Bristol 10k and Family Run – cancelled > for more information visit GreatRun.org/GreatBristol10k

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UPDATE : 22 JULY 2020

Due to the continuing impact of the  COVID-19 pandemic, the Great Run Company and Glasgow Life have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's Great Scottish Run. The event was scheduled to take place on Sunday, 4 October 2020.

Runners who had a place in either the 10k or half marathon distance in this year's event will be given the option to roll it over to the next Great Scottish Run, which is provisionally scheduled to take place on Sunday, 3 October 2021, or receive a refund of their entry fee. Organisers are in the process of contacting everyone who had signed up to this year's event with further details and options.

The associated children's event, the Junior & Mini Great Scottish Run, due to take place on Saturday 3 October is also cancelled. All runners in this event will receive a full refund of their entry fee.
Paul Foster, Chief Executive at the Great Run Company, said: “We understand this will be disappointing news to all those who were planning to take part, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority. 

“Over the past few months we have worked hard to try and find a way to stage the Great Scottish Run while observing social distancing rules, and most importantly, not adding to the burden of public services. 
“However, as things stand, and even as the situation improves, it's not going to be possible to meet these goals with any certainty, and so we have concluded that the best course of action is to cancel this year's event. We are delighted to be able to offer our runners the opportunity to roll their place over and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2021.  

“We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding.”

Many of people taking on the challenge would have been doing it for charity; at this time charity donations are more important than ever before. 

Paul Foster said: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge our runners take on, they put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months before. They should be able to celebrate that achievement. We encourage those who were signed up to run the event to recognise all the hard work they have already put in and consider still passing on the money raised to the charity if possible.”

UPDATE : 15 JULY 2020

The Great Birmingham Run, which was scheduled to take place on Sunday 11 October 2020 has been cancelled.

The decision to cancel the event has been taken given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meaning that going ahead with the event will be impossible. Runners who had a place in this year's event will be given the option to roll it over to the next Great Birmingham Half Marathon, currently scheduled to take place on 10 October 2021, or receive a refund of their entry fee. Organisers are in the process of contacting everyone who is signed up for the Great Birmingham Run by email with further information.

Paul Foster, Chief Executive at the Great Run Company, said: “We understand this will be disappointing news to all those who were planning to take part, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority. 

“Over the past few months we have worked hard to try and find a way to stage the Great Birmingham Run while observing social distancing rules, and most importantly, not impacting on our local NHS.
 
“However, as things stand, and even as the situation improves, it's not going to be possible to meet these goals with any certainty, and so we have concluded that the best course of action is to cancel. This is even more disappointing given we had to cancel the Great Birmingham 10k in May and so our loyal Birmingham runners have not had the chance to take part in a Great Run this year. We are delighted to be able to offer our runners the opportunity to roll their place over and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2021. 

“We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding.”

Many of people taking on the challenge would have been doing it for charity; at this time charity donations are more important than ever before. 

Paul Foster said: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge our runners take on, they put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months before. They should be able to celebrate that achievement. We encourage those who were signed up to run the event to recognise all the hard work they have already put in and consider still passing on the money raised to the charity if possible.”

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UPDATE : 1 JULY 2020

The Great Bristol Half Marathon, which was scheduled to take place on Sunday 27 September 2020 has been cancelled.

The decision to cancel the event has been taken given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meaning that going ahead with the event will be impossible. Runners who had a place in this year's event will be given the option to roll it over to the next Great Bristol Half Marathon, currently scheduled to take place on 19th Sept 2021, or receive a refund of their entry fee.

Organisers are in the process of contacting everyone who is signed up for the Great Bristol Half Marathon by email with further information.

Paul Foster, Chief Executive at the Great Run Company, said: “We understand this will be disappointing news to all those who were planning to take part, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority. 

“Over the past few months we have worked hard to try and find a way to stage the Great Bristol Half Marathon while observing social distancing rules, and most importantly, not impacting on our local NHS. 
“However, as things stand, and even as the situation improves, it's not going to be possible to meet these goals with any certainty, and so we have concluded that the best course of action is to cancel. This is even more disappointing given we had to cancel the Great Bristol 10k in May and so our loyal Bristol runners have not had the chance to take part in a Great Run this year. We are delighted to be able to offer our Half Marathon runners the opportunity to roll their place over and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2021. 

“We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding.”

Many of people taking on the challenge would have been doing it for charity; at this time charity donations are more important than ever before. 

Paul Foster said: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge our runners take on, they put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months before. They should be able to celebrate that achievement. We encourage those who were signed up to run the event to recognise all the hard work they have already put in and consider still passing on the money raised to the charity if possible.”

UPDATE: 15 JUNE 2020

Today, we have confirmed the 2020 Great North Run & the 2020 Great Manchester Run have both been cancelled, due to the ongoing public health crisis caused by Coronavirus. 
Runners who had a place in either event will be given the option to roll it over to the next staging of the run, or get a refund of their entry fee. 
 
The Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run has also been cancelled. As has the Junior & Mini Great North Run and the Great North 5K , which traditionally take place on the Saturday before the Great North Run, have also been cancelled. Places for the popular children's event are always in high demand, so those who successfully secured a place in 2020 will be given a priority entry window in 2021 to make sure they don't miss out.
 
Paul Foster, Chief Executive of The Great Run Company: “We're sorry that we've had to cancel the Great North Run & the Great Manchester Run. We haven't taken the decision lightly. Both events raise huge amounts of money for charity  and are important days in the UK's sporting calendar. 
 
“Over the past few months we worked hard to try and find a way to stage the events while observing social distancing rules, and most importantly, not impacting on our local NHS. 
 
“However, as things stand, and even as the situation improves, it's not going to be possible to meet these goals with any certainty, and so we have concluded that the best course of action is to cancel.
 
“I'd like to thank our partners at Manchester, Newcastle, Gateshead and South Tyneside Councils, and especially our medical teams working in North East NHS Trusts and in the NHS across Greater Manchester for their support in trying to find a way to stage the events this year.”
 
“Despite not being able to stage the events as planned we are exploring ways to mark the occasion across both regions and hope to be able to share our plans soon.”
All Great Manchester Run entrants will still have the opportunity to receive their medal in the post if they log a run of either 10k or half marathon between now and the weekend of the event (Sunday 6th September). Instructions confirming the medal process will be emailed to them.

Paul Foster continued: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge; our runners put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months beforehand. Many others will raise money for a charity close to their heart, and at this time charity donations are probably more important than ever before. We want our participants to celebrate their achievement, however they get there.” 

UPDATE: 14 May 2020

As everyone is well aware, the COVID-19 outbreak means serious disruption across every part of our lives. As things stand, many of our events are affected and may not be able to take place as planned.

The Great North 10k and Great North Family Run, which were scheduled to take place on Sunday 28 June, have been cancelled.

The decision to cancel the events has been taken following government advice on slowing the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). In addition, organisers have acknowledged the increased pressure on public services that the coronavirus outbreak is causing.

Organisers have confirmed that all entrants will be able to claim a refund and that they are in the process of contacting everyone who is signed up for the Great North 10k or Great North Family Run by email with further information.

Paul Foster, Chief Executive of The Great Run Company, said: “We understand this will be disappointing news to the people who were looking forward to running the Great North 10k in 2020, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority. 

“We would also like to highlight the fantastic support we get from health professionals at our events, many of whom work with us on a voluntary basis. We know they will be dealing with additional pressure both in their work and personal lives at this time. 

“We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding during this challenging time.”

Entrants will still have the opportunity to receive their medal in the post if they log a run of the same distance (10k) between now and the weekend of the event (Sunday 28th June). Instructions confirming the medal process will be emailed to them.

Paul Foster continued: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge; our runners put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months beforehand. Many others will raise money for a charity close to their heart, and at this time charity donations are probably more important than ever before.

“We want our participants to celebrate their achievement, however they get there.” 
 

UPDATE: 27 March 2020

We would like to advise you that the Great Manchester Run, which was scheduled for 24 May and the Junior and Mini Great Manchester Run, which was scheduled for 23 May can no longer take place as planned.  This is based on advice that to slow the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) events of this type should be postponed.

We are happy to say that we have secured a new date the Great Manchester Run will now go ahead on 6 September. The Junior and Mini Great Manchester Run will be rescheduled to the same weekend on either 5 or 6 September, with the exact date and time still to be decided.

We understand the commitment and dedication you make when you enter one of our events and we would not take any decision to cancel or postpone lightly. We love delivering our events and we work hard to make sure our participants can enjoy them in a safe and happy environment.

All entries will be transferred to the new date and entrants will receive an email with full details. If you are unable to participate on the new date we will offer a refund of your entry fee, less an admin fee of £5. We hope you will not be too disappointed at waiting a little longer and we look forward to seeing you on the start line in September.

Thank you for your patience and continued support at this challenging time.

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UPDATE: 27 March 2020
We are sorry to announce that the COVID-19 outbreak means we need to cancel the Great Birmingham 10k and the Junior and Mini Great Birmingham Run.
 
We know this may be disappointing news, because it is for us too, but there's no option to stage the event as planned or later in the year. We will process a refund of entry fees though we have to deduct a £5 admin charge. You don't need to do anything, the money will be credited to the debit or card you paid for your entry on. 

We understand the commitment and dedication you make when you enter one of our events and we would not take any decision to cancel or postpone lightly. We love delivering our events and we work hard to make sure our participants can enjoy them in a safe and happy environment. We are disappointed that the  Great Birmingham 10k and the Junior and Mini Great Birmingham Run will not go ahead, but your safety is our number one priority.

Many of you taking on the challenge would have been doing it for charity; at this time charity donations are probably more important than ever before. Those who are signed up to run the Great Birmingham 10k will still have the opportunity to claim their medal. Provided Government advice continues that we are able to exercise outside, all runners have to do is log a run of the same distance (10k) between now and the weekend of the event (Sunday 31st May) and submit that to receive their medal in the post. Instructions confirming the medal process will be emailed to them.

We're back in Birmingham staging the Great Birmingham Run on 11 October, which is a half marathon. We'd love you to take part in the autumn, so carry on training, up the distance, and set yourself a target for later in the year. Click here for more details.

Thank you for your patience and continued support at this challenging time.

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UPDATE: 25 MARCH 2020

As everyone is well aware, the COVID-19 outbreak means serious disruption across every part of our lives. As things stand, many of our events are affected and may not be able to take place as planned.

We are sorry to announce that the COVID-19 outbreak means we need to cancel the Great Bristol 10k and the Great Bristol Family Run.
 
We're back in Bristol staging the Great Bristol Run on 27 September, which is a half marathon. We'd love you to take part in the autumn, so carry on training, up the distance, and set yourself a target for later in the year. Click here for more details.

Thank you for your patience and continued support at this challenging time.

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UPDATE: 17 MARCH 2020

We are closely monitoring the developments with COVID-19 and will continue to take the advice of the UK government around the staging of large public events. 

At present it is highly likely that there will be disruption to our events. However, we want to wait a short period to confirm what happens next. We're working out some details around the events, and we will make further announcements very soon. 

We understand the commitment and dedication you make when you enter one of our events and we would not take any decision to cancel or postpone lightly. We love delivering our events and we work hard to make sure our participants can enjoy them in a safe and happy environment. 

In the meantime we want to reassure you all that we are keeping in close contact with Public Health England. If circumstances dictate that we must cancel any of our events everyone who had entered would be entitled to a refund. 

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STATEMENT FROM 14 MARCH 2020

At present all of our events are scheduled to go ahead as planned, but we will assess over the coming weeks and update participants as a priority if anything changes.

If we receive information from the government or our health partners that affects any of our events we will inform entrants and partners as soon as possible.

In the meantime we want to reassure you all that we are keeping in close contact with Public Health England. If circumstances dictate that we must cancel any of our events everyone who had entered would be entitled to a refund.