Andy Burnham completed the 2026 Great North Run in 1 hour, 57 minutes and 34 seconds, becoming the first serving Prime Minister to finish the famous half marathon. He was among 63,000 people who took part in the event on Sunday, crossing the line in South Shields to the cheers of crowds and TV cameras.
PM's participation revealed at the start line
Little was known about the Prime Minister's involvement until he was spotted at the start line in Newcastle on Sunday morning. Millions of viewers then saw him interviewed during the BBC's live coverage of the annual race. Burnham, who has run the half marathon before and called it 'the best in the world,' said he was very keen to take part again.
This year he ran for the charity Changing Lives, the same cause supported by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness. Both joined other famous faces on the Central Motorway to tackle the 13.1-mile course to South Shields. His finishing time was not much slower than his Great North Run personal best of 1 hour 53 minutes.
'Best sporting event in the British calendar'
After catching his breath and receiving his medal, Burnham spoke exclusively to ChronicleLive. On the importance of the race, he said: "This is the best sporting event in the British calendar and the reason I say that is because what other event brings 65,000 people together. It's both big and amazing, but down to earth and connected, and I love it, I'll keep coming as long as they will have me."
He added: "When I'm a few years in, I might have made a few difficult decisions, and maybe it'll be a bit trickier in years to come. But I thought I'll run with someone who is more unpopular than me in Newcastle so he gets all the flack, so god bless Peter Reid for stepping forward and fulfilling that role."
