Great North Run organisers apologise after making major error on 2025 medal

Oh dear

Despite this being a major achievement for the 60,000 people who took part, the medals left something to be desired.

The organisers of the Great North Run have been forced to issue an apology after runners noticed the error, and pointed it out on social media.

Turns out, the medals feature a map of Sunderland and the River Wear, rather than Newcastle, Gateshead, South Shields and the River Tyne, as it should have been.

One user wrote on X: "Beautiful as it is, I can't help but think this year's Great North Run medal would be more appropriate with a map of Tyneside on it, rather than the streets of Wearside and The Stadium of Light."

T-shirts given to runners also feature the wrong city.

In a statement to Sky News, organisers of the run have issued an apology.

"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," they said.

"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."

Sir Brendan Foster, the founder of the run, said that despite spending "ages marvelling at" the design, he "never spotted the mistake".

"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," he said.

"We're already looking forward to 2026, after we've brushed up on our geography."