Event: United Kingdom

Bupa Great North Run

When:	1 Oct 2008 (annual)
Where:	Newcastle
Costs:	Free to spectate; charge for runners
Opening Hours:	10.40am

The 13-mile Great North Run, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne via Gateshead to South Shields, is the biggest half-marathon in the world. Since the first race in 1981 it has attracted both serious contenders and people running for fun or charity.

Each autumn over 47,000 runners take part in the gruelling tour of the city, which starts at the beginning of the Central Motorway in Newcastle city centre and passes such local landmarks as the new "winking eye" Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the imposing BALTIC, with its amazing art spaces and great views of the river.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in the Great North Run (including high-profile British female athletes Kelly Holmes and Paula Radcliffe) and due to the demand for places, organisers now choose runners by ballot. The ballots are held by February, but there are other places allocated to various charities, for which your running can raise much-needed funds.