A relatively small marathon, with 5,000 participants in 2013, the Marathon of the North course starts and finishes at the Stadium of Light on the North bank of the river Wear. Co-founded by former Olympic athlete Steve Cram, the race has great support throughout the north east and is credited of having an incredibly friendly feel on the day and being a real family event with races going on all throughout the day, for people of all ages. However, there was mild controversy this year when it transpired that race officials had been sending runners the wrong way and that all bar one of the 5,000 runners actually ran 264m short of the full marathon distance!
The Marathon of the North has a great fundraising aspect to it with teams running dressed as superheroes, cheerleaders and even rhinos in the 2013 event! With no ballot and the entry fee being around £35, you can grab your own place at any time and run for charity or, if the event sells out, there are a large number of charities with their own places. Aim for around the £1,000 mark when it comes to fundraising and make sure you set yourself a gradual target.
There is excellent support throughout the day which was typified by the large crowds at the 2013 event, despite there being terrible weather throughout the day. There are a number of charities there as well adding colour to proceedings!
This is a fairly flat course however there are a few very minor hilly stretches so with a good six months training (look at our marathon race training guide) you should be able to set yourself a strong time.
Despite the controversy in the 2013 race, as mentioned above, there has been nothing but praise for the marshals and organisers of the event. With a former Olympic champion (and local boy!) organising the event the course is well set out, as you may imagine.
3 out of 5 stars
To choose a charity to support in this event click here or if you already have a charity in mind click here
