Famous Faces of the AJ Bell Great North Run 2025
Dame Kelly Holmes, Jake Quickenden, Ashley Cain and the stars of The Traitors lead the famous start line at the AJ Bell Great North Run 2025
With just one month to go until the 44th edition of the AJ Bell Great North Run, the celebrity runners adding a sprinkling of stardust to the world’s greatest half marathon on Sunday 7 September have been announced.
Dame Kelly Holmes
Olympian and running royalty.
BBC Traitors Stars
Minah Shannon, Kasim Ahmed, Jaz Singh, Alexander Dragonetti .
WillNE
Youtuber.
Tommy Fury
Boxer and reality TV star.
Jake Quickenden
Singer and TV personality.
Ashley Cain
Coventry City player-turned-reality star.
Dr Alex George
TV Doctor and mental health campaigner.
Sara Davis
BBC Dragons Den star.
Bryony Gordon
Author, broadcaster and inclusive running ambassador.
Mark Clattenburg
Football and BBC Gladiators Referee.
Jenni Falconer
TV and Radio Personality.
Neil Grainger
Smoggie Queens Actor.
The Great North Run has a long tradition of attracting famous faces to take on the 13.1 mile course from Gateshead to South Shields. This year’s roster of stars will also include former football and sports commentator Danny Mills, former boxer Rendall Munro , Emmerdale actress Harriett Bibby, and reality stars Shona Manderson (Married At First Sight) and Zara Holland (Love Island).
Over 200,000 spectators are expected to line the streets in support of the class of 2025, waving, cheering, and willing on the 60,000 runners as the region comes together. The event is expected to generate in the region of £25M for charitable causes across the weekend.
The 2025 AJ Bell Great North Run will be broadcast live on BBC One and will also feature some of the world’s leading athletes competing at the front in the elite Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair races. Great Run ambassador Olympian Eilish McColgan has already confirmed her participation as she seeks to win the Women’s elite race for the first time.
Find out more about this year’s Great North Run and sign up to be the first to hear about the 2026 ballot here.
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