Great North Run is seen by many as the flagship, 'must do' half marathon. 

Is it a good race? - Yes. 

Is it worth the unbridled hype? - Possibly not. 

Pre-race info was excellent with regular emails  

There was a really good atmosphere in and around race HQ. 

Baggage was straight forward with deposit & collection both trouble free.

Race itself started in a chaotic fashion with starting pens a complete mess.

I was eventually forced to take my place way down in the white zone instead of orange. 

I'd describe the course itself as mildly undulating. A couple of hills but nothing too serious. Congestion means this isn't really a PB Half Marathon.   

The local support was awesome throughout. Race marshals are unsung heroes in my eyes. They did a brilliant job. 

It's not the prettiest 13.1miles but the run across Tyne Bridge and especially the cheering crowds at the finish were brilliant. 

Finishers were rewarded with a great looking, solid medal, tech shirt & ok finishers bag. Bag included couple of protein bars, some kind of washing conditionioner & a packet of spaghetti. 

There was an extensive charity village so it was great to meet friends from the charity I run for. 

In summary- GNR is a massive occation for North East and a decent half marathon. 

I don't think it's worth the hype in all honesty. Crowd support was first class but congestion means this will never be a super fast course. 

Would I do it again? Probably but I can take it or leave it.