01 / KNOW THE ROUTE
What the course asks of you
Stay patient around the bridge
The current route starts on Newcastle’s Central Motorway and crosses the Tyne Bridge. Use the busy early stretch to find space and settle. Weaving or surging can raise the effort before the race has properly developed.
Prepare for the work before the sea
The organiser identifies a sustained uphill section between miles eight and twelve. Give that part of the race a place in your training: practise holding a controlled effort on a gentle rise when you have already been running for a while.
Control the final descent
The course drops towards South Shields before the seafront finish. Practise relaxed downhill running with short, controlled steps rather than reaching forward to force speed. You still need enough control to finish the last stretch well.
02 / BUILD THE BLOCK
How to prepare
Use rolling routes without racing them
Some easy runs on undulating roads help you become comfortable with changing gradient. Keep the climbs easy on easy days. The aim is familiarity, not turning every local hill into a hard session.
Practise a late rise
When your base allows it, include a manageable uphill section in the later part of a steady run. Maintain breathing and posture rather than defending a flat-road split. Keep the session short enough that you recover normally.
Keep the routine yours
Rehearse what you will drink, carry and eat before the start. In a large event, follow the routine you know rather than accepting every unfamiliar product offered by spectators.
Keep the running and strength work in one place. Explore MaxMile for your Great North Run preparation, or compare the levels of personal coaching.
03 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Pace the race you have trained for
Let pace change with the gradient. The early downhill sections can make an ambitious split feel deceptively easy; use breathing and effort to stay inside the plan.
Expect the later rise and avoid spending the preceding miles trying to buy time for it. After the final descent, reset your posture and concentrate on the seafront section you are actually running. Leave room for a purposeful finish.
04 / MAKE ROOM FOR TRAINING
When should your block start?
A 12-week block ending on 12 September 2027 starts on 20 June 2027. This is a calendar example, not a prescription. Start from the running you can repeat now and allow extra time if you first need to build consistency.
Put the race and the weeks when work, travel or family will interrupt training into your diary before adding key sessions. Protect the recovery around the more demanding work and reduce the load towards race day. A shorter plan does not remove the need for a suitable base.
05 / SORT THE PRACTICAL BITS
Kit and race-weekend planning
This is a point-to-point race. Arrange both the journey to Newcastle and the journey after finishing in South Shields, including a meeting point that does not depend on mobile reception in a crowd.
Use the final organiser guide for your wave’s assembly route and arrival time. Test shoes on rolling roads and take suitable post-race clothing for the time you may spend outside afterwards.