Great North Run 2022: Founder promises South Shields return

About 57,000 runners ran the half-marathon on Sunday which started and finished in Newcastle to aid social distancing

The Great North Run will again finish in South Shields in 2022 after being re-routed this year because of the pandemic, its founder said.

About 57,000 runners ran Sunday's half-marathon which started and finished in Newcastle to aid social distancing.

Some businesses in South Shields had feared the change would be permanent, taking away trade on one of their busiest days of the year.

However, run founder Sir Brendan Foster said it would be back "home" next year.

This year's amended route saw runners head through Newcastle city centre

He said: "We're going back to South Shields next year the natural home of the Great North Run which follows the River Tyne from city to sea.

"We'll be back next year on 11 September."

Deborah Gallagher, general manager of the New Crown pub in South Shields, said race day was usually the venue's busiest of the year.

'Bigger and better'

"We are right at the finishing line and usually cannot pull pints fast enough to serve customers," she said.

"Yesterday was really disappointing, the people of South Shields love having the run finish here.

"I'm over the moon it will be back next year and we've got a year to plan bigger and better."

Many of the tens of thousands of runners tackling the 13.1-mile course were raising funds for charity

Staggered timeslots replaced the traditional mass start for the world's biggest half-marathon.

The Great North Run Company estimated this year's event raised £28m for charity.

The new route saw runners cross the Tyne Bridge twice and make their way through Newcastle city centre before finishing on the Great North Road.

Sir Brendan, who helped launch the event in 1981, said it had been "a tough task" organising this year's run but it had turned into an "incredible" success.