Great North Run likely to be cancelled

GREAT NORTH RUN CANCELLATION IS “LIKELY SCENARIO”, ORGANISERS SAY

THE head of the company behind the Great North Run is facing up to having no events in 2020, despite the huge loss the cancellation of the half marathon would cause the North East economy.

Paul Foster, chief executive of the Great Run Company and son of its founder Brendan, said he expected to join businesses across the country in suffering “some serious financial impact” as it grappled with the likely cancellation of running races throughout the UK.

September’s Great North Run - due to be the 40th event - has not been cancelled as of yet, but the company is working on the “likely scenario” that it won’t take place.

That would leave the company having to refund tens of thousands of runners, but would also be a massive blow to the North East economy, with the event bringing in more than £30m each year and helping raise around £26m for charities.

Mr Foster said: “Everybody’s reasonably prepared for the autumn event season not happening. We had as our worstcase scenario there being no events in 2020 and that is looking the likely scenario now.

“I’m not ruling out some smaller events, and there’s a faint glimmer of hope surrounding the bigger ones, but we have to plan as if there will be none and that’s certainly what we’re doing.

“My bigger worries would be around 2021 at this point in time. I know we can ride out this year, it won’t be pretty but we will do it.”

The company had 18 separate events on its calendar at the start of 2020 but 10k races in Birmingham and Gateshead are among the casualties already while upcoming runs in Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow and Portsmouth are, for now, still accepting entries.

The Great North Run was due to take place on September 13, with more than 50,000 runners set to take to the famous course from Newcastle to South Shields.

The organisers are considering alternative dates and said they would “weigh up everything and give it the best possible chance to take place in some format.”

This week the company wrote to potential runners saying that “it isn’t as simple as making a quick decision to postpone or cancel and we are working in close consultation with our medical, planning teams and all key stakeholders whilst following the latest advice from the UK Government.”

Mr Foster added: “The economic impact of the Great North Run on the North East region is around £31m which is obviously a massive number.

“It is a global event with around 60,000 runners expected to do it this year and it is the biggest running event in the country. There is also £26m pounds worth of charity fundraising connected to it so any decision to postpone or cancel it has to be taken really carefully.”

Around 200,000 people take part in Great Run events every year, making up 80% of its turnover, with the remainder coming from its TV production arm.

Mr Foster said the TV side of the business had also “taken a battering” as a result of the cancellation of sporting events including the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics where it was due to work.

More than half of the firm’s staff have been furloughed.

Mr Foster said he hoped mass-participation running would return stronger than ever in 2021.

“It’s clearly going to be linked to the success we have in fighting coronavirus - if we can come up with a vaccine then things will return to normal in due course but we have to be a little bit concerned that 2021 events could be under pressure,” he said.

“We do a regular running survey every quarter among our participants and in our latest results, 94% of respondents said they would enter an event next year assuming it’s safe to do so.

“Once Government advice changes and we get a handle on the medical aspects of coronavirus and, if we are able to lift some aspects of social distancing, I do think there’s a public appetite for it to come back. I’m personally very optimistic that, if it does come back, it will come back strong.”