Great North Run
2026
The world's biggest and best half marathon
Newcastle, England. Sunday September 13th, 2026
The Great North Run is a 13.1-mile (half marathon) city-to-coast race in the North East of England, starting in Newcastle upon Tyne, passing through Gateshead, and finishing in South Shields on the coast.
Why Great North Run?
This is one of the UK’s most iconic running days: big-crowd energy, a famous point-to-point route, and a finish that feels like you’ve properly earned it. The event has been held annually since 1981, and the scale of it creates an atmosphere you simply don’t get at smaller races.
It’s also a brilliant “step-up” challenge: substantial enough to feel life-changing, realistic enough to train for alongside work and family life.
There are different ways to enter the Great North Run, including charity places. If you’re still looking for a route in, get in touch and we’ll talk you through what’s possible and what support we can offer.
Why Foyle Hospice?
When you run for Foyle Hospice, your miles stay close to home. Foyle Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care, and support for families, across the Western Health and Social Care Trust area.
Your fundraising helps make compassionate care possible, free of charge to patients and families.
Real examples of what support can mean:
• £30 could support one hour of care in our Inpatient Unit
• £35 could support an hour of Healing Hearts counselling for a grieving child or teenager
• £78 could support one home care visit
• £720 is the cost of an Inpatient Unit bed for 24 hours
Already secured your own ballot place?
How to get started
1
Register your interest / get in touch with our Events Fundraiser
2
Tell us you’re doing Dublin and whether you already have your own place
What you’ll get from Team Foyle
You won’t be doing this on your own. Our fundraising team will support you with practical help and encouragement, alongside a fundraising pack and a running vest.
If you would like a bit more structure, we can also provide a tailored training schedule through our Events Fundraiser, Noel McMonagle. Noel has supported Foyle Hospice runners for over 20 years and brings a practical understanding of what helps people get to the start line feeling prepared and confident. He’s also a runner himself, so the guidance is grounded in real experience, with a plan that fits around work, family life, and your current fitness level.
