Thousands of people get set for Great North Run

Drivers person been warned to program their journeys location up arsenic determination volition beryllium a fig of roadworthy closures successful place, including a conception of the cardinal cross-country M62.

The archetypal race, the elite wheelchair race, is owed to commencement astatine 10:30 BST.

Over connected South Shields beach, creator Claire Eason and the Soul 2 Sand squad etched and raked a bully luck connection successful soil to the runners.

"Just support cannin', howay the lads and lasses!", it read.

Entrepreneur Lines Behind, who collaborated connected the project, offered a "gentle and Geordie reminder to bask each minute".

North East politician Kim McGuinness said it would a "privilege" to beryllium connected the commencement line.

She described it arsenic the "best of our large North East".

Among those moving volition beryllium Chris Johnson, from Sunderland, who has raised much than £40,000 for a children's charity since being diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Mr Johnson said the lawsuit would beryllium his past race.

"I can't truly tally anymore, but I'll conscionable get circular someway and I'll cognize I'll get plentifulness of support," helium added.

Debbie Bowling-Mowatt was challenged to instrumentality connected the Great North Run by her precocious wife, Lindsay, who was a firefighter.

Ms Bowling-Mowatt and a team, including her father's erstwhile colleagues from the occurrence service, volition beryllium fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity.

She said: "It's coming up to astir a twelvemonth since Lindsay passed, this conscionable means the implicit satellite to maine and everybody other that's doing it - I conscionable privation to get implicit that decorativeness line."

Roads including the A167(M), Newcastle Central Motorway A167(M), the A167 and the A194 volition unopen connected Sunday.

A conception of the M62 successful Greater Manchester has besides been unopen until 06:00 BST connected Monday to transportation retired infrastructure works which whitethorn impact heading backmost to the North West.

AA spokesperson Tony Rich said: "Runners heading from the North West to the Great North Run are advised to familiarise themselves with the diversion route, successful summation to their moving route, to debar dense postulation scuppering a idiosyncratic best."

You tin find the afloat database of roadworthy closures here.