Great South Run: All main event places sold out as runners prepare for historic course

There are a limited number of places remaining for the Great South 5k and the Junior & Mini Great South Run which are both taking place on October 19, with people encouraged to enter quickly to avoid missing out.

However placed for the ten mile main event for the AJ Bell Great South Run which is taking place on Sunday, October 20 have all been snapped up with more than 23,000 runners set to take on the fast and flat course past Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard and Southsea Castle, with stunning views of the Isle of Wight.

The event is renowned for an incredible atmosphere with tens of thousands of supporters lining the streets each year, and hundreds of charity cheering stations and music points cover the 10 mile route, providing much-needed motivation to the runners.

At the front of the field some of the UK’s top athletes will race it out to be crowned Great South Run Champion of 2024, and join the honours list of past winners including Sir Mo Farah, Liz McColgan, Paula Radcliffe, Vivian Cheruiyot and Tirunesh Dibaba since it first started in 1990.

One of this year’s highlights will be celebrations for world-famous athlete and two time Olympian Chris Thompson, as the Great South Run marks his retirement from professional athletics at the age of 43.

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However the running action kicks off on Saturday, October 19 with the Junior and Mini Great South Run and the eagerly anticipated Great South 5k. Around 1,000 people are taking part in the 5k race, and 1,200 children aged 3-15 expected to join the Junior (2.5k) & Mini (1.2k) events.

Organisers say the kids’ event is the perfect curtain raiser for a weekend of fun, with participants being encouraged to embrace the Super Saturday theme and run in their favourite superhero themed costumes for the chance of winning a prize for best dressed on the day.

For more information or to view the vent guide for this year’s Great South Run visit greatrun.org/south. To enter the Great South 5k visit greatrun.org/events/great-south-5k/ or the Junior & Mini Great South Run:https://www.greatrun.org/events/junior-mini-great-south-run/.