Great North Run reaches 150 countries milestone

The Great North Run has achieved another milestone in its search for a representative from every country in the world to take part in the iconic half marathon after reaching their 150th nation.

By The Newsroom

Published 11th May 2016, 09:45 BST- 1 min read

Updated 11th May 2016, 10:50 BST

Ronners from 150 different countires have signed up for this year's Great North Run.

The Great World Run initiative was launched in February, with event organisers The Great Run Company seeking a runner from all 193 United Nations member states to take part in the 13.1-mile run from Newcastle to South Shields on September 11.

The addition of Guatemala made it 150 not out for the event organisers, who have called on representatives of the final 43 to come forward and take part.

Andorra, Macedonia, Togo, and Tuvalu are among the countries remaining on the list, and organisers remain optimistic they can find a representative from each of them to create a world first at a running event.

The event organisers have launched a dedicated website to track the countries that have signed up for the Great North Run at greatrun.org/GNRWorldRun, with Togo, Iceland, Mali, Mozambique, Palau and Ivory Coast among the nations yet to be represented.