Running News Daily

Brigid Kosgei returned to the top at the AJ Bell Great North Run on Sunday, September 13, delivering a commanding performance to win the women’s half marathon and lead Kenya to a memorable one-two finish.

The former marathon world-record holder crossed the line in 1:06:15, securing her second Great North Run title after previously winning the prestigious race in 2019.

Fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui who was battling to defend the title finished second in 1:06:19, completing a memorable Kenyan one-two at one of the world’s most celebrated half-marathons.

Behind the leading Kenyan pair, Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu produced an impressive run to claim third in 1:09:37. Wudu was the first athlete outside the Kenyan duo to reach the finish and comfortably secured a place on the podium, highlighting the strong international quality of the women’s field.

Japan’s Honami Maeda finished just six seconds behind Wudu to take fourth in 1:09:43, while Great Britain’s Amy-Eloise Neale was the leading home athlete in fifth with 1:10:27.

American Natosha Rogers followed in sixth in 1:11:44, with Britain’s Annabel Grummow seventh in 1:12:37 and Nancy Scott completing the top eight in 1:12:51.

For Kosgei, the victory adds another prestigious achievement to an already remarkable distance-running career. Returning to the Great North Run winner’s circle six years after her first triumph, she once again demonstrated her ability to deliver on one of the biggest stages in the half marathon.

Chepkirui’s runner-up finish made the occasion even more significant for Kenya, as the two athletes combined to secure the top two positions. Wudu’s third-place performance completed an international podium and ensured the race featured a strong representation from three of the sport’s leading distance-running nations.

Women’s Top 8 Finishers

1. Brigid Kosgei — Kenya — 1:06:15

2. Sheila Chepkirui — Kenya — 1:06:19

3. Melknat Wudu — Ethiopia — 1:09:37

4. Honami Maeda — Japan — 1:09:43

5. Amy-Eloise Neale — Great Britain — 1:10:27

6. Natosha Rogers — United States — 1:11:44

7. Annabel Grummow — Great Britain — 1:12:37

8. Nancy Scott — Great Britain — 1:12:51

The 2026 Great North Run therefore ended with Kosgei back on top, Chepkirui alongside her in second and Wudu completing a high-quality international podium. For Kosgei and Kenya, it was a particularly memorable day, combining individual success with a commanding one-two finish and reinforcing the country’s enduring strength in elite distance running.

The road racing spotlight will turn to Newcastle this Sunday as the 2026 AJ Bell Great North Run brings together an impressive international men's field featuring several of America's leading distance runners alongside proven global stars.

The iconic half marathon from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields is once again shaping up to be one of the most intriguing road races of the weekend, with a deep field capable of producing a highly competitive battle over 13.1 miles.

Leading the American challenge is Clayton Young, who heads into the race with an important autumn marathon campaign already on his mind. Young recently announced plans to make an attempt at the American marathon record at the Chicago Marathon later this fall, making Sunday's race an interesting opportunity to gauge his fitness ahead of that major target.

However, Young will face plenty of quality opposition.

The American contingent also includes Zouhair Talbi, Casey Clinger, Woody Kincaid, Jared Ward and Jake Barraclough, giving the United States considerable depth in the men's field.

Kincaid is particularly intriguing. The USATF 10K champion has already established himself as one of America's most accomplished distance runners and will be looking to continue building his reputation on the roads against an international field.

The global challenge is equally strong.

Alex Mutiso of Kenya, Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands, Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta, Italy's Iliass Aouani, Britain's Ben Connor and Andy Butchart, as well as a strong contingent from Japan, add plenty of experience and firepower to the race.

With athletes arriving at different stages of their seasons and several already looking toward major autumn targets, the Great North Run could produce a fascinating tactical battle before the final miles decide who has the strength to take control.

Selected Men's Elite Entries

1. Clayton Young — United States

2. Casey Clinger — United States

3. Zouhair Talbi — United States

4. Woody Kincaid — United States

5. Jared Ward — United States

6. Jake Barraclough — United States

7. Alex Mutiso — Kenya

8. Abdi Nageeye — The Netherlands

9. Deresa Geleta — Ethiopia

10. Ben Connor — Great Britain

11. Taiga Hirayama — Japan

12. Ayumu Kobayashi — Japan

13. Tatsuya Maruyama — Japan

14. Kosei Matsunami — Japan

15. Yohei Ikeda — Japan

16. Shoya Yonei — Japan

17. Iliass Aouani — Italy

18. Andy Butchart — Great Britain

19. Alfie Manthorpe — Great Britain

20. Calum Johnson — Great Britain

The 2026 AJ Bell Great North Run will take place on Sunday, September 13, with the elite men's race scheduled to get underway in Newcastle.

It may be a half marathon, but this is certainly not a race to overlook. With Young preparing for Chicago, Kincaid continuing to make his mark on the roads and an international field packed with talent, the Great North Run could quietly become one of the most entertaining races of the weekend. 

The four-time world champion has confirmed where she will run next after her third-place finish at the Paris Marathon in April.

Vivian Cheruiyot has confirmed her next race after her third-place finish at the Paris Marathon in April.

Cheruiyot will race at the AJ Bell Great North Run scheduled for September 8 where she will line up against tough opponents including Eilish McColgan.

Cheruiyot has raced three times this season, opening her season in Paris and proceeding to the National Cross-Country championships where she finished 16th before racing at the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon where she finished second.

On her part, McColgan holds the British records on the roads at 5km, 10km, 10 miles and half-marathon and has won other Great Run events and in 2021 finished runner-up to Hellen Obiri at the Great North Run.

An injury set her back at the Paris Olympic Games but is expected to bounce back at the Big Half in London on September 1 before heading to the Great North Run and then the Vitality London 10,000 on the roads of London.

Another challenger will be Sheila Chepkirui who was third behind McColgan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 10,000m.

The Ethiopian charge will be led by Senbere Teferi, the former women-only 5km world record-holder with Mergetu Alemu also in the mix. British-based Kenyan Mary Ngugi-Cooper will also be competing at the event.

The men’s race will be headlined by Marc Scott who will try to reclaim the title he won in 2021. He faces a stern test from Berihu Aregawi, the Ethiopian who won the Olympic 10,000m silver.

Aregawi is a formidable opponent since he also went No.3 on the world all-time rankings for 3000m behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s world record in Poland.

Sisay Lemma, 2023 Boston Marathon winner Evans Chebet and Kenya’s NYC Half winner from earlier this year, Abel Kipchumba will also be in the mix.

Berihu Aregawi, Sisay Lemma and former winner Marc Scott are part of a strong men’s field for the September 8 event.

Eilish McColgan’s autumn road racing steps up a gear on September 8 when she tackles the AJ Bell Great North Run.

The 33-year-old holds the British records on the roads at 5km, 10km, 10 miles and half-marathon but has not yet won the iconic 13.1-mile race during her career. She has, however, won several other Great Run events and in 2021 finished runner-up to Hellen Obiri at the Great North Run.

After an injury-hit 2023, McColgan returned this summer to make the Olympic team in Paris, finishing 15th in the 10,000m. But after several more weeks of training she is expected to be stronger as she tackles the Big Half in London on September 1 followed by the Great North Run seven days later and then the Vitality London 10,000 on the roads of London again on September 22.

At the Great North Run she will face, among others, Vivian Cheruiyot, the Great North Run winner in 2016 and 2018, plus Sheila Chepkirui, the Kenyan who was third behind McColgan when the Scot won the Commonwealth 10,000m title in 2022.

Cheruiyot, who is now 40, also won the London Marathon in 2018 and the Olympic 5000m gold in 2016.

There is also Senbere Teferi, the former women-only 5km world record-holder and 65:32 runner in the half-marathon, plus two-time London Marathon podium placer Mergetu Alemu and British-based Kenyan Mary Ngugi-Cooper.

In the men’s race Marc Scott returns to try to retain the title he won in 2021. But he faces tough opposition from Berihu Aregawi, the Ethiopian who won Olympic 10,000m silver close behind Joshua Cheptegei in Paris.

Last weekend Aregawi also went No.3 on the world all-time rankings for 3000m behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s world record in Poland.

Also racing on Tyneside are 2024 Boston Marathon and 2021 London Marathon winner Sisay Lemma, 2023 Boston Marathon winner Evans Chebet and Kenya’s NYC Half winner from earlier this year, Abel Kipchumba.

McColgan said: “I have incredible memories of competing in Newcastle and participating in the Junior Great North Run events over 20 years ago, and we have a family history at the Great North Run, with mum being a three-time winner, so this year’s Great North Run will be a special one for me to finally follow in my mum’s footsteps and because as I have yet to run the original route from Newcastle to South Shields.”

She added: “Returning from this year’s Paris Olympics and on the road back from injury, I’m especially looking forward to the thousands of spectators lining the streets of the North East, as well as the 60,000 inspirational runners taking part in their own journey.”

McColgan’s best half-marathon time is 65:43 set in Berlin last year. Paula Radcliffe has run three seconds quicker – at the Great North Run in 2003 – but the course is not eligible for records.

This year’s run will also welcome back the elite men’s and women’s wheelchair races, held to the backdrop of this year’s Paralympic Games closing ceremony in Paris.  Notable competitors include JohnBoy Smith, Sean Frame, Michel McCabe and Jade Hall.

Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run, said: “Our fantastic spectators are once again in for a great day thanks to our impressive elite field at the top end of our Great North Run Sunday.

Tough opposition for the Brit on his final competitive appearance on September 10.

Mo Farah will renew his rivalry with two of his old adversaries – Geoffrey Kamworor and Muktar Edris – in his last competitive appearance in the AJ Bell Great North Run next week.

Kamworor is a three-time world half-marathon champion and two-time winner of the New York City Marathon in addition to finishing runner-up in the London Marathon five months ago.

The Kenyan says: “I’m really looking forward to taking on my first Great North Run in Newcastle, as I’ve heard many good things about the event.

“Sir Mo Farah he has had such an incredible career, it’s exciting to be a part of his last ever race, but I’m obviously here to win and add my name to the list of champions.”

Edris, meanwhile, won the world 5000m title in 2017 ahead of Farah and then successfully defended his title in 2019. Over half-marathon he has a best of 58:40 and says: “I’ve raced Mo on the track but this is the first time we have met on the roads.

“I have great respect for him. After we raced in London 2017 World Championships, I named my son after him and I look forward to renewing our friendship and rivalry.”

One week before the Great North Run, Farah, who is now 40, races in the Big Half in London (September 3) with the event acting as the half-marathon trial for the World Road Running Champs in Latvia on October 1.

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah has announced the Big Half will be his last race in London before retiring.

Farah, who won back-to-back Olympic golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m, revealed ahead of the London Marathon in April that 2023 would be his final year as a competitive athlete. The 40-year-old cited injuries as the reason behind his decision, admitting: "My body is not allowing me."

And it has now been confirmed his final competitive race in London, the city where he won his first two Olympic golds in 2012, will be the Big Half on September 3. It is an event he has won three times, most recently in 2022.

"I'm excited to run my last ever London race at The Big Half," Farah said. "It will be bittersweet, knowing it will be the last time I race competitively in my hometown but it's always such a great day and I know the London crowds will be cheering me on, as they always do. I look forward to being back in London and hope to bring home the win one final time."

Spencer Barden, Head of Elite Athletes at London Marathon Events which organises the Big Half, added: "It's fantastic to have Sir Mo leading the field at this year's The Big Half. Mo has had a phenomenal career and everyone at London Marathon Events wishes him all the best in his retirement.

"Before that though, we hope he signs off his racing career in London with another record-breaking win at The Big Half." However, the Great North Run on September 10 will be Farah's final race altogether.

"I have so many incredible memories of racing at the Great North Run, my first ever race there in 2013 was billed as one of the greatest men’s half marathons in history," he said. "It was a special experience to line up against Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele and the iconic Haile Gebrselassie.

"Kenenisa took the top spot that day, but there was so much support for me all along the course. Even at the finish line in the pouring rain, all I can remember was people shouting my name, it made me even more determined to come back and do them proud.

"From 2014 onwards I won the event in front of that incredible crowd six times. There were some really tough races, but the phenomenal support always saw me through.

"It's fitting the AJ Bell Great North Run will be my last ever race as an elite athlete. It will definitely be emotional, but I’m so happy to have the opportunity to celebrate the end of my professional career on that famous finish line."

Scottish runner hopes to follow in the footsteps of mum Liz by winning iconic half-marathon in September.

Eilish McColgan will return to the AJ Bell Great North Run this year, for her first competitive race on the iconic city to sea course, on Sunday September 10. The Scot took on the event for first time in 2021 on an alternate course that had been modified due to pandemic related restrictions and finished runner-up to Hellen Obiri.

McColgan ran 67:48 on that occasion although she improved to a UK record of 66:26 at the Ras Al Khaimah event in 2022.

This year she will be following in the footsteps of her mum, Liz McColgan, who was a prolific presence at the event in the 1990s, taking top spot in 1992, 1995 and 1996.

“I have such amazing memories of coming to Newcastle and taking part in the Junior Great North Run events,” said Eilish.

“We also have a great family history at the Great North Run, with mum being a three-time winner, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do on the original course.

“The pandemic course included a lot of uphill sections and was quite challenging, so I’m hoping for a much faster run this year.”

After an incredible 2022 on and off the track, Eilish has already confirmed plans to prioritise road running in 2023 ahead of her debut in the TCS London Marathon in April.

Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run, said: “After so many memorable performances from her mum, Liz, over the years, it’s wonderful for me to have the opportunity to invite Eilish back to the Great North Run this year.

“We’re delighted to confirm she will be back on the start line in September, she is an incredible ambassador for the sport and an inspiration to so many runners. We’re working on a competitive field and we’re sure it will be one to remember.”