Running News Daily

The Great North Run was overshadowed by tragedy on Sunday after two 25-year-old runners died after collapsing during the iconic half-marathon from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields.

The two men, both from the North East of England, fell ill during the race despite the presence of extensive medical support along the 13.1-mile course. Organisers confirmed that emergency teams made their “very best efforts” to save them, but both runners sadly died.

More than 63,000 participants took part in the 45th edition of the Great North Run, with huge crowds lining the route. However, what was expected to be a celebration of running was painfully disrupted by the deaths, with fellow competitors and spectators witnessing some of the emergency incidents.

One runner, Rob Nicholson, described the conditions as particularly difficult, saying it had been an exceptionally hot and crowded day.

“Everyone that was there was great,” Nicholson said, highlighting the efforts of members of the public who stepped in to help. He said an off-duty nurse was among those who provided assistance to a collapsed runner.

The race featured numerous measures designed to help participants cope with the heat, including water stations, showers and water-spraying systems. Spectators also joined the effort, handing runners bottles of water, ice pops and other refreshments along the route.

Despite those measures, Nicholson said the combination of heat and congestion made the race especially challenging.

“It was a very hot day and the most crowded I’ve felt doing the run,” he said, explaining that some runners were forced to move onto paths used by spectators as they tried to navigate through the densely packed field.

The most distressing scenes came when runners stopped to protect and assist the collapsed competitors.

Nicholson recalled seeing participants form what he described as a “human shield” around one of the men, while emergency crews used medical screens around the second casualty to protect the scene from public view.

“It was really not nice to see,” he said.

The exact circumstances and cause of the two deaths remain under investigation, with work continuing to establish what happened to the two young runners.

News of the tragedy prompted an outpouring of grief, particularly from friends and fellow members of the local running community. One friend paid tribute on social media, describing one of the men as an “amazing, funny and kind man” and expressing sympathy for both families during what they described as an “awful time.”

The Great Run Company, which organises the event, also expressed its condolences to the families and friends of the two participants.

“Everyone involved in organising the Great North Run extends their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the two participants,” the organisers said.

They added that they were continuing to support the families during the difficult period and offered their thoughts and sympathies to everyone who knew and loved the two men.

The Great North Run remains one of the world's largest and most celebrated mass-participation half-marathons, bringing together tens of thousands of runners and hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.

But this year's edition will be remembered not only for the scale and atmosphere of the event, but also for the heartbreaking loss of two young lives on a day that was supposed to celebrate the joy of running.