THE general entry ballot for the world’s biggest half marathon, the Simplyhealth Great North Run, has opened.

The annual running spectacular, which attracts around 1,000 runners from Tynedale and Ponteland, will be staged for the 37th time on Sunday, September 10.

Since it was first staged in 1981, more than a million have completed the 13.1 mile distance from Newcastle to South Shields, and organisers The Great Run Company are inviting people to sign up ahead of this year’s event.

Many of the 50,000 plus runners raise money for charity and, last year, participants raised £26,332,773 for hundreds of good causes.

The Great North Run is the highlight of a spectacular weekend in the North-East which also features the Great North CityGames, the Great North 5k, plus the Junior and Mini Great North Runs.

The 2017 event follows last year’s colorful bash when runners from 178 countries were represented on the start line as it became the Great World Run for one year only.

To register for the ballot, applicants should go to www.greatrun.org. The ballot will close at midday on Monday, February 6, and all applicants will be notified by email on, or before, Thursday, February 9.