Great North Run: What is it, and why are the Gladiators there?

Pull up your socks, and lace up your trainers...this weekend the Great North Run is back in Newcastle.

The main event today is a half-marathon of 13.1-miles (21km) for over-17's, whilst Saturday was reserved for younger runners to have their go.

The event runs a Junior and Mini Great North run for children aged 3-8 and 9-16.

This year it was a little more special because the children's runs were started by none other than the GLADIATORS.

What is the Mini and Junior Great North Run?

Tyney is the Junior and Mini Great North Run mascot, shown here in 2024

The event takes place on closed roads around the Newcastle Gateshead Quayside.

The mini run is for those aged 3-8, and is a 1.2km dash.

The juniors, for children aged between 9-16, tackle a 4km sprint.

The day also featured the Mini 50 – a flat 50m course towards the finish line for children (3-16 yrs) with additional needs, supported by their families and carers.

More than 12,000 kids were expected to be taking part - for fun, charity, or as a challenge and of course, to go home with a shiny medal.

Were you taking part? Let us know if you or anyone you know is running in either event in the comments below.

Why are the Gladiators at the Great North Run?

Gladiators Sabre, Apollo, Bionic and Athena will be attending

Gladiators Sabre, Apollo, Bionic and Athena were at the event and ringing the starting bell for the races.

They weren't running themselves but they were on hand to cheer on the young runners.

A spokesperson for Gladiators said: "Inspiring a love for sports and staying active in young people is at the heart of our mission and something we deeply care about."

The main event

Watch out for some of the fancy dress at the run

The first Great North Run race took place in 1981 and that year more than 12,000 runners turned up to compete.

Since then the number of runners who do it has grown massively, this year 60,000 will be taking part.

You can usually spot a couple of famous faces, as well as lots of people in fancy dress.

The run is also known for its huge contribution to charity, with runners raising millions of pounds for charity each year.