Great North Run company is 'monitoring coronavirus situation' but says race is currently set to go ahead as planned

Organisers The Great Run Company have confirmed that the Great North Run half marathon is still set to take place as planned at this point.

The run will be held on Sunday, September 13, with a record 60,000 runners due to take part as the event celebrates its 40th anniversary.

All of the other Great North Run events which will be held over the course of the weekend – including the Great North 5k on Friday, September 11, and the Junior and Mini Great North Run on Saturday, September 12 - are also still set to take place.

Concerns were raised amongst runners who thought the spread of coronavirus around the world may cause the event to be cancelled.

Internationally a number sporting events have already been postponed in a bid to prevent the spread of the illness.

But runners set to take part in this year’s Great North Run from Newcastle to South Shields needn’t give up on their training just yet as organisers have reassured participants that the run is still set to go ahead.

A Great Run Company spokeswoman said: “We know there are lots of people excitedly preparing for our events so we want to reassure our participants that at this point all Great Run events will be going ahead as planned.

"We are in regular contact with NHS England via our contracted health care professionals and will continue to monitor the situation regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

“We will ensure any appropriate advice is shared with our runners and if anything changes we will update you all as soon as we can.”

Cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) were first reported in Hubei Province, China, in December 2019 and further cases of the virus have been confirmed in a number of countries.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is urging people to stay indoors and avoid contact with others if they have travelled to the UK from the places on its list of designated affected areas in the last 14 days – even if they do not have symptoms.