Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom · September
Great North Run Training Plan
A free half marathon plan for the AJ Bell Great North Run, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.
- Distances
- Half marathon
- Course
- Rolling
- Usually held
- Each September
The Great North Run course
The biggest half marathon in the world, run point to point from Newcastle to the seafront at South Shields. The course rolls throughout, opens with the Tyne Bridge, and ends with a long descent to the coast that is faster than it feels. The scale of the field is the defining experience.
Weather on race day
Early September in the northeast of England is mild and unsettled: starts in the 50s, highs in the 60s, and a coastal breeze on the final miles. Warm years are uncomfortable because so much of the course is exposed.
What to train for
Rolling-terrain half marathon fitness and a plan for a very crowded start. With tens of thousands of runners the first mile will be slower than your target no matter your corral, so train goal pace off a slow opening and use the closing descent rather than fighting it.
Registration and official details: Great North Run official site
Great North Run training questions
How long should I train for the Great North Run?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Great North Run course hilly?
Rolling. The biggest half marathon in the world, run point to point from Newcastle to the seafront at South Shields. The course rolls throughout, opens with the Tyne Bridge, and ends with a long descent to the coast that is faster than it feels. The scale of the field is the defining experience.
What is the weather usually like at the Great North Run?
Early September in the northeast of England is mild and unsettled: starts in the 50s, highs in the 60s, and a coastal breeze on the final miles. Warm years are uncomfortable because so much of the course is exposed.
Do I need an account to get a Great North Run training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.
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