The Great North Run Finish: A South Shields Race-Day Guide

Every September, tens of thousands of runners pour over the last rise on the coast road, catch their first glimpse of the North Sea, and freewheel down towards South Shields. This is where the Great North Run ends: the world's biggest half marathon finishes on our seafront, and for one Sunday a year the town becomes the loudest, most emotional finishing line in British running.

Most guides tell you how to enter and how to get across the Tyne Bridge. This one is about the other end of the course. If you are running to the sea, spectating the finish, or waiting to hug someone as they cross the line, here is how race day works in South Shields.

The race in one paragraph

The Great North Run is a 13.1-mile half marathon that starts in Newcastle city centre, crosses the Tyne Bridge into Gateshead, and finishes on the South Shields seafront. It is run every year on a Sunday in September, typically the second Sunday, and it is the largest event of its kind in the world. Sir Brendan Foster, the Gateshead-born Olympic distance runner, founded it in 1981; the first race sent just over 12,000 runners from Newcastle to the South Shields coast, and it has ended at the sea ever since. Everything below is about that finish.

The finishing straight along the seafront

The last mile is the reason people remember this race. Runners drop down onto the coast road, the A183, at around the 12-mile mark and the sea opens up on their left. From there it is a flat, straight run along the top of The Leas, the long green clifftop stretch above the shore, all the way to the finish gantry. The North Sea on one side, packed grandstands and crash barriers on the other, and a wall of noise that builds every step of the way. The finish line sits on The Leas towards the Bamburgh end of the seafront.

For runners, that final descent to the coast is the emotional heart of the day. For spectators, it is the best free grandstand in the North East. After thirteen miles of city and suburb, the sea is the payoff, and the crowds along the coast road know it.

The Red Arrows flypast

The Red Arrows have become one of the signatures of Great North Run day. The RAF display team traditionally streaks over the Tyne Bridge as the elite runners set off, and then returns to perform a full display over the sea at the South Shields finish while the main field is still coming home. If you are spectating on the seafront, keep an eye on the sky over the coast in the early afternoon; the display over the water, with runners still streaming towards the line beneath it, is one of the day's great sights. Timings shift year to year, so treat it as a fixture of the afternoon rather than a fixed clock time.

The festival at the finish: charity village and recovery area

Cross the line and you step straight into the aftermath, which spreads across The Leas and the parkland behind it. Runners collect their medal, finisher's shirt and goody bag, then move through the recovery area before spilling out into the festival atmosphere. The Charity Village, on the Bents Park playing fields just beyond the finish, is where the fundraising crowd gathers: it is open to everyone, not just those running for a cause, and it is the hub of the post-race party with music, stalls and thousands of exhausted, elated finishers reuniting with family. Whether you have run or just come to watch, the seafront on Great North Run afternoon is one of the best days out in the town's calendar.

Where to watch the finish (and where to avoid)

The whole final mile along the coast road and The Leas is spectator territory, and almost anywhere along it gives you a great view of runners coming down to the sea. A few pointers:

• The coast road / A183 approach is the classic spot: you see runners at their most emotional as the sea appears and they push for home.
• Along The Leas towards the finish the crowds are deepest and the atmosphere loudest, but sightlines fill up early, so arrive in good time if you want the barrier.
• Avoid the immediate finish funnel and the recovery area if you are only spectating; these are kept clear for finishers and get heavily congested. You will have a better time a little further back up the straight.
• Bring layers. It can be bright and warm or blowing straight off the North Sea, sometimes both within an hour.

Getting to South Shields on race day (and home again)

Roads on the South Shields side, including the coast road, close for the race, so driving to the seafront is not realistic on the day. Public transport is the way in.

• The Metro is the recommended route. The yellow line runs directly to South Shields, and services are stepped up on race day. South Shields Metro station is roughly a 15-minute walk from the finish on the seafront. Expect the return journey to be busy; queuing systems are usually in place at the station after the race, so be patient and allow extra time.
• The Shields Ferry across the Tyne from North Shields runs extra crossings on Great North Run day and is a scenic, often quicker alternative to doubling back through the city. Shuttle links typically connect the ferry landing with the Metro on the North Shields side.
• A day travel ticket covering Metro, local buses, the Shields Ferry and local rail is usually sold for the event and is the simplest way to cover the whole journey on one fare.
• Park and ride: if you must drive, park well away from the closures and use the Metro for the final leg rather than aiming for the seafront itself.
• Road closures on the South Shields side, including the coast road and surrounding streets, come into force through the middle of the day and lift in the late afternoon. Check the current year's closures before you travel.

Whatever you choose, plan the journey home before you set off. Getting into town is straightforward; getting fifty-odd thousand people out again all at once is the part that needs patience.

Meeting your runner afterwards

The finish area uses a simple alphabetical meeting system so families can find each other in the crush. Meeting points are marked with letter signs, and you meet under the banner matching the first letter of your runner's surname, in the area near the finish. It is much easier if you agree your exact meeting letter and a backup plan before the race, because phone signal on the seafront can struggle under the weight of the crowd. Tell your runner where you will be, pick a fallback spot, and expect it to take a while for them to work through the recovery area and reach you.

Where to eat and celebrate afterwards

Once you have found your runner, South Shields does the celebration part better than most finish towns, because the seafront and Ocean Road are lined with places to eat. A few local institutions within reach of the finish:

• Colmans Fish and Chips on Ocean Road is the definitive post-race treat. A genuine South Shields institution, the Colman family have been frying fish here since 1926, and few things beat a portion of fish and chips after a hard thirteen miles.
• Colmans Seafood Temple is the seafront, sit-down sibling: a striking art deco building on Sea Road with panoramic views over the coast, if you want to mark the day with something more of an occasion.
• Minchella and Co has been making ice cream on the seafront since 1942 and sits right on the walkway above the shore, perfect for a well-earned cone in the sun.
• The Sand Dancer is a beachfront pub on Sea Road, right on Sandhaven Beach with a beer garden looking out to sea, a natural spot to raise a pint to a finisher.
• Sea Change Cafe on Ocean Road offers a relaxed, vegetarian- and vegan-friendly stop with homemade cakes if you want something calmer than the seafront crowds.
• The Sea Hotel overlooks South Marine Park and the coast, handy if your day out needs somewhere to sit down properly.

For more places to eat and drink, browse the full South Shields directory.

Why it finishes here

The finish belongs to South Shields by design. When Brendan Foster created the run in 1981, he wanted a mass-participation race that ended somewhere memorable, and the sweep down to the North Sea gave runners a finish unlike any other in the country. More than four decades on, that image, crossing the line with the beach behind you, is still what most people picture when they think of the Great North Run. For the town, being the finish is a point of genuine pride.

Entering, and the junior runs

If reading this has tempted you to run it yourself, entry for the main half marathon is by public ballot each year, with a large number of guaranteed places offered through charities in return for fundraising. There are also Junior and Mini Great North Run events, shorter distances for children and young people held on the Saturday of race weekend. Our companion guide covers entering, training and spectating the start in depth; this guide stays firmly at the finish, where South Shields comes into its own.

Race day

This is the section to update each year; everything above stays the same.

The Great North Run is held on a Sunday in September, usually the second Sunday. The elite races and the main mass start take place through the morning, with the bulk of the field crossing the South Shields finish across the early afternoon, and the seafront festival running on into the day. For this year's exact date, start waves and the timing of the Red Arrows display, check the official Great North Run website and the current Nexus / Tyne and Wear Metro and South Tyneside Council travel and road-closure pages before you travel.