Over 3,600 British Heart Foundation (BHF) runners took on Sunday’s AJ Bell Great North Run as part of the event’s charity partnership.
The determined BHF runners joined around 60,000 other participants from across the world, to take on the iconic 13.1-mile route from Newcastle to South Shields on 7th September, all with the same goal of funding lifesaving research.
AJ Bell nominated British Heart Foundation as the official charity partner of the much-loved running series in 2023, with a joint mission to help improve the nation’s heart health over a two-year partnership.
This year’s AJ Bell Great North Run helped the charity to raise over £523,000, which will go towards finding new cures and treatments for the 7.6 million people in the UK currently living with cardiovascular diseases, the world’s biggest killer.
Over the course of the partnership, a staggering £1.5 million has been raised overall.
Runners of different ages and backgrounds took to the streets of the Northeast, all with their own heartfelt reason for taking on the challenge.
Among them were BHF researchers Laura Booth, 27, and Mille Fullerton, 27, who work alongside one another at Newcastle University’s Biosciences Institute. Laura studies the presence of ‘zombie cells’ in hearts, which can indicate whether a heart could be suitable for donating for transplant surgery.
Millie investigates the genetic causes of cardiomyopathy in children. Cardiomyopathies are a group of diseases that weaken the heart muscle which, over time, disrupt its normal function, making it harder to pump blood around the body.
Also running was Rob Crowley, 48, from Kent, who completed the event in memory of his wife Marlise, who died alone at home from an undiagnosed heart condition while Rob was on a rare weekend apart from her.
He said:
“Heart-related deaths can strike without warning, as happened in Marlise’s case. The reality is, there is so much more for science to discover to help prevention and find cures.
“It is my hope that people’s donations will support the BHF’s lifesaving research, which just might save someone in the future, who has a similar heart condition to Marlise’s.”
Karen McDonnell, Senior Events Manager at British Heart Foundation (BHF), added:
“Our amazing supporters and their reasons for taking part in our events, never fail to inspire me. Seeing the passion and determination of over 3,600 British Heart Foundation runners who took on the AJ Bell Great North Run on Sunday was brilliant.
“Together they’ve help raise more than £523,000 – an incredible amount, which will make a huge difference in helping us fund further groundbreaking research to revolutionise treatments and transform the lives of the 7.6 million of people in the UK living with cardiovascular diseases.”
Stephen Vowles, Chief Marketing Officer at AJ Bell, said:
“Once again, it was hugely inspiring to witness the sea of red British Heart Foundation runners on Sunday. We’re incredibly proud to have had BHF as the official charity partner of the AJ Bell Great North Run for the past two years, and to know that together we’ve helped raise vital funds to improve the nation’s heart health. The supporters taking part have played a crucial role in this, and we want to thank everyone for their incredible efforts.”
The AJ Bell Great North Run 2026 ballot is now open: http://www.greatrun.org.
To take on your own AJ Bell Great Run Series Event for the BHF visit: www.bhf.org.uk/AJBellGreatRuns .
