The return of the original Great North Run route means participants will get a downhill finish.
Last year, the route started and ended in Newcastle, which meant an uphill climb for the final mile from the city centre and up the Great North Road. But the 2022 course finishes in South Shields, including a final stretch on the Coast Road which includes a drop in altitude.
Experienced Great North Run runners will know where the hills are on the 13.1 route, including a two-mile Felling Bypass stretch where the elevation rises by 30metres. Thankfully, that's followed by a long downhill section.
Read more: Great North Run route, start time, length, parking and travel
How hilly is the Great North Run - and where are the hills?
The course starts on Newcastle's Central Motorway, at an altitude of 55m. The first mile through Newcastle is downhill slightly, dropping to 40m in elevation at mile one.
The course drops again between the first and second mile, to around 30m elevation at the Tyne Bridge before climbing at around 1.75 miles back up to around 40m in elevation by the Park Lane roundabout between miles two and three, before dropping down to 30 metres elevation at mile three near Gateshead Stadium. The route then climbs for two miles on the Felling Bypass, to 55 metres at the Heworth roundabout (4.25 miles), then reaches 60m elevation shortly after mile five under the Black Bull junction, which is the course's highest point.
The course then drops in altitude for the next three miles, reaching its lowest point at around 8.25 miles at the roundabout at the bottom of John Reid Road. The route then rises in altitude again, up to 30m in height by mile nine, before staying at a similar level until mile 11. The last notable climb of the course is between miles 11 and 12, peaking at Redwell Lane at the top of the Coast Road bank (40m in elevation). There is then a drop before another short hill after mile 12 before a gentle drop to finish the course.
Where is the biggest hill on the Great North Run course?
The longest incline on the course is on the Felling Bypass between shortly after mile three (Gateshead Stadium) and just after mile five (Black Bull Junction- via the Heworth Roundabout.
Where is the longest downhill stretch of the Great North Run course?
After the longest uphill stretch, comes the longest downhill section. There is a three-mile downhill section from shortly after mile five to just after mile eight.
The lowest point of the Great North Run course
The Great North Run route reaches its lowest altitude at around 8.25 miles near John Reid Road.
The highest point of the Great North Run course
The Great North Run course hits its highest altitude after mile five under the Black Bull junction.
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