The Great North Run could be cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The half marathon, dubbed the world's largest, is set to take place this Sunday (11 September), but the tragic passing of the UK's longest-reigning monarch may set athletics hopefuls and charity runners back.
This news comes after organisers at the GNE decided to cancel the event's 5K sister run which was set to take place tomorrow (Friday 9 September) as well as the UK Athletics 5k Road Championships.
Read more: The Queen has died: The Palace confirms the death of Queen Elizabeth II
A statement posted to the GNE's official website, read: "We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family.
"In light of this sad news, we have taken the decision to cancel the Great North 5k and the UK Athletics 5k Road Championships, both scheduled to take place on Friday 9 September. We will continue to assess plans for the rest of the weekend and provide a further update tomorrow morning.
"We have contacted Great North 5k entrants by email and will be back in touch next week to confirm further details on the Great North 5k cancellation."
"Thank you for your understanding. The Great Run Team."
Queen Elizabeth II passed away earlier today at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, surrounded by family members.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
You can leave a tribute for the Queen in our online condolence book.
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