Great North 5K, 5th September 2025

It is now traditional for the Great North Run weekend to kick off with this 5K race down on the Newcastle Quayside.

Promoted with photos of our very own supermodel Shilpa Iyanna, the event attracts some elite runners from all over the country. It is also proving popular with Claremont Road Runners, and we had a number of entrants this year. Amongst them was Len Lou, who sends us this report:

“After feeling a little left out from the Great North Run hype I decided last minute to sign up for the Great North 5k race on the Friday night before the main event this Sunday.

I first ran this 5k 10years ago with Mo Farah none the less (photographic evidence provided!) and once again in 2019 when the course was extremely short and was not counted as an official 5k!

It was as usual a very well organised event with loads of friendly staff and volunteers on site, I trepidatiously approached the orange flag thinking surely that I was far too close to the front (questioning what time I estimated I would be able to complete it in!). It was also at this point I remembered that it was only a 5k and not the 10k distance I had been hyping myself up for all day – so I instantly felt much better and began the ‘it’s just a Parkrun’ inner monologue.

It was a well supported course out from the millennium bridge towards and over the swing bridge, turning right along the river before doubling back towards the Glass house and finishing sprint over the Millennium bridge. It had a few inclines but overall felt like a fast course. I was very happy to finally break my 5k PB time too!”