Andy Burnham became the first serving Prime Minister to run the Great North Run on Sunday, finishing the 13.1-mile route from Newcastle to South Shields in 1 hour 57 minutes and 34 seconds. The Labour leader, running for the Changing Lives charity, was joined at the start line by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and several other well-known faces.
PM's Historic Run and Celebrity Line-Up
Mr Burnham told ChronicleLive in an exclusive interview at the finish that he firmly believed the Great North Run was 'the best half marathon in the world.' He lined up alongside his Labour colleague Kim McGuinness, who completed the course in 2:51:05.
Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara both ran for Prostate Cancer UK, finishing in 2:34:31 and 2:34:32 respectively. Kamara received plenty of support from fellow runners and spectators along the route.
Other Celebrity Finishing Times
Singer and South Shields native Joe McElderry made his Great North Run return, crossing the line in 1:59:21. Jake Quickenden posted the fastest celebrity time of the day at 1:27:54, while Joe Wicks finished in 1:59:49 and Sophie Raworth in 1:48:17.
Helen Skelton completed the course in 2:03:39, with Peter Reid finishing in 3:34:32. Rachel Duffy recorded 3:21:57, Amanda Collier 2:37:58, Louis Healy 2:31:32 and Riley Jones 1:58:02.
All official results for the 2026 Great North Run are now available, including the time for each celebrity participant.
