Extra run places 'should be shared with charities'
BBC/JIM SCOTTA foundation denied 400 charity places in the Junior & Mini Great North Run has welcomed the announcement that additional spaces for individuals have been put on sale but said some should have been offered to charities.
Sunderland's Red Sky Foundation previously said it felt excluded from the youth events. Run organiser the Great Run Company (GRC) denied it had been, and said demand had been the "biggest we've ever seen".
Announcing the new slots, GRC said it had been working for several months to increase the event's capacity.
The charity said the additional spaces gave its supporters a "very small window of opportunity to sign up" as individuals.
Charity blocks and individual places are offered for the 1.5km (0.75 miles) and 4km (2.48 miles) youth runs, usually held the day before the Great North Run in September.
"Demand for the 2026 Junior & Mini Great North Run was the biggest we've ever seen, with the event selling out in just a few weeks," GRC said.
"For several months we've been working closely with the event safety advisory group to explore options to increase the event capacity."
More than half the newly released places had already been sold and it expected the rest to go before the end of the weekend, it said.
PA MediaGRC said it had opened the spaces on general sale to be "as fair and inclusive as possible".
But Red Sky chief executive Sergio Petrucci said: "Given that charity places were reduced due to demand it would have been good to see the Great Run Company offering these places to small local charities, like Red Sky Foundation, so that they could be used to do good in the region."
The foundation, which supports people with complex heart conditions, said it had already received an influx of fundraising registrations from people who managed to secure their own places.
"However, we will still have significantly smaller representation in this year's event and sadly cannot offer subsidised places to schools and clubs," the charity said.
Some readers commenting on Red Sky Foundation's allocation of places said charities deserved them because of the good work they did, while others said they should not be allocated blocks of places at all, and individual runners should instead choose to raise funds if they wished.
Some said Red Sky Foundation had too many places in the past, while others said running for the charity had given their children an important opportunity.
One charity said its supporters applied as individuals and it refunded their entry fee.
Other people commenting complained about the amount charities were charged to enter the main GNR, claiming it was one of the most expensive events for them to take part in.
