Here is one veteran plodder's mile-by-mile guide to what competitors should expect on September 8 along the half-marathon course.
. Great North Run. Picture by PA
Runners cross the Tyne Bridge during the 2014 Great North Run. | PA (Press Association) Photo: PA
. Mile One
Allow yourself plenty of time to make the 10.40am start - otherwise you might find yourself forced to start in a supposedly slower coloured zone. | PA (Press Association) Photo: Peter Byrne
. Mile Two
Don't get sucked into joining in all the "Oggy, Oggy, Oggy" chants underneath the echoey flyovers during mile two. Don't get fooled either by this 1981 picture of runners crossing the Tyne Bridge - it will be far busier in 2019. | JPIMedia Photo: Sunderland Echo
1. Mile One
Allow yourself plenty of time to make the 10.40am start - otherwise you might find yourself forced to start in a supposedly slower coloured zone. | PA (Press Association) Photo: Peter Byrne
2. Mile Two
Don't get sucked into joining in all the "Oggy, Oggy, Oggy" chants underneath the echoey flyovers during mile two. Don't get fooled either by this 1981 picture of runners crossing the Tyne Bridge - it will be far busier in 2019. | JPIMedia Photo: Sunderland Echo
3. Mile Three
Your first opportunity to take advantage of a water stop as you approach Gateshead Station. | JPIMedia Photo: TR
4. Mile Four
Warning: The first major incline kicks in as you trek uphill from Gateshead Stadium towards Heworth Roundabout. | JPIMedia Photo: PB