Record Year For Great Run And Bupa
The Bupa Great North Run weekend broke records in 2012, with more than 62,000 people entering mass participation events across the weekend.
Nova International, the event’s organisers, made 1,000 extra places available due to demand for the weekend, which included the Bupa Junior and Mini Great North Runs and the inaugural Bupa Great North 5k. The event was shown live in the UK on BBC One, and reached a peak audience of over two million, a 7% increase on last year and a 4% increase in audience share. It was also broadcast live across Europe on Eurosport.
Brendan Foster, chairman of Nova, said: ‘Looking back on London 2012, it’s been a special year to stage Britain’s biggest ever mass participation event. The road from Newcastle to South Shields was lined with thousands of spectators, more than ever before, cheering on a record number of runners.’
The Bupa Great Birmingham Run, the leading half marathon in the Midlands, has also seen a surge in entries, with an additional 3,000 runners signing up for the event on Sunday 21st October. The field has grown from 15,000 in 2011 to a record 18,000 in 2012.
Great Run will finish its season on Sunday 28th October with the Bupa Great South Run, the only ten-mile road race to have been awarded IAAF Gold Label status.
Bupa Running’s Fiona Vigar said: ‘This is the 20th year of Bupa’s title partnership with the Great Run Series, and we are delighted it coincides with this phenomenal year for British sport. We’re very proud to have sponsored this iconic race for such a long time – one of the longest running sports partnerships in the world, and central to our commitment to help people get active as part of our purpose of longer, healthier, happier lives.’
