Great North Run chiefs say 'wear sorry' after medal sparks route change rumour

Great North Run organisers have addressed rumours that the route will switch to a rival city in 2026. Thousands of people collected medals on Sunday after completing the 13.1 mile run from Newcastle to South Shields.

However they were soon turning to social media asking if a change was ahead after the medals and t-shirts from the event showed the wrong river. Rather than the River Tyne it showed the River Wear in the nearby city of Sunderland - which many consider to be arch rivals.

People took to social media to question the mistake. One posting on Reddit showed the medal commenting: "Definitely not a map of Newcastle/Gateshead/South Shields..."

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And soon rumours were being started over whether it was a sign of the future. They incuded Adam who asked: "Route reveal for next year. Does this mean the route is getting changed?"

Others questioned how it had happened - and if there were other plans afoot. One wrote: "I had to go get mine to double check and omg you're right! Fingers crossed they do the map of Teesside next year."

With sporting rivalry known between Sunderland and Newcastle some joked it could push up the value of the medals. One wrote: "T shirt too. Being from Sunderland and taking part in the gnr has just made the event even more special. Medal be worth a fortune once all the Geordies get theirs melted down."

Posting on Facebook organisers were tongue in cheek as they apologised for the mistake: They said: "Wear sorry!

"As the eagle-eyed have already spotted, the shape of the river on this year’s finisher t-shirt & medal is indeed the River Wear. To answer the rumours that this was the route reveal for next year… sorry to disappoint, it’s a mistake. Lots of people looked very closely at the designs and none of us picked it up."

They continued: "We had Newcastle United stars on the start line and the Stadium of Light on the medal. The Great North Run is truly a celebration of the region, even more so than we had planned.

"For the 60,000 who ran yesterday, you’ve got the most unique t-shirt & medal in Great North Run history, a keepsake that we’ll be talking about in 44 years’ time."

Running legend Sir Brendan Foster also commented saying: "I loved the designs for the medal and t-shirt, spent ages marvelling at them, and never spotted the mistake, even when we hung it in Fenwick's window. I’ve lived on the River Tyne my whole life and I should’ve noticed, but if I’d run the Great North Run yesterday, I’d still be wearing my medal with pride.

"Thanks to everyone who took part in an amazing event yesterday, and all the supporters who came out to cheer on the runners. It was a fantastic Great North Run, and we’re already looking forward to 2026, after we’ve brushed up on our geography."

The post garnered more than 1,300 comments and thousands of likes. Christine said: "My first GNR and I find it funny, what a keepsake." Pauline said: "Oh dear - someone needs a crash course in geography!!"

Others wondered if it really was a mistake. One said: "Somehow think this was not an accident, maybe a Bob Ross happy accident, but as back has the river wear, even the front of medal has "Wear" and other potential clues/hints: "We ar...bridge and the... streets and we... laughing, we... biggest.. of all... we love"

Andrew agreed saying: "Clearly not a mistake is it. Someone has to have done that deliberately - you don't just draw a river and happen to accidentally get the shape of one just over the way in Sunderland!"

And Mark asked if more than just the rivers were wrong. He posted: "Head office based by the Tyne Bridge. The Tyne flows north easterly out of Newcastle to a wide basin - at both Shields and a Tyne mouth. I’m pretty sure the streets are in fact Wearside / Sunderland too?"

The first Great North Run was staged on 28 June 1981, when 12,000 runners took part. This year 60,000 people took to the streets making it the biggest half marathon in the world.