THE Great North Run is now an institution, known the length and breadth of the country, and further afield.

Olympic medallist and local hero Brendan Foster got the idea for the event when he was in New Zealand, training for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and was invited to take part in the Round the Bays Run, in Auckland.

Mr Foster, who was one of 20,000 competitors, was amazed by the atmosphere created by the competitors and by the thousands of spectators who lined the route.

He returned to the North-East determined to start a similar event in his native Tyneside.

The first Great North Run took place on June 28 , 1981 - the year the London Marathon started - and attracted slightly more runners, 12,500 entered and 10,000 completed the course.

Mike McLeod, a member of Newcastle Elswick Harriers - he later won the Olympic 10,000 metre silver medal - was the winner of the first men's race, crossing the line at South Shields in 63 minutes 23 seconds.

Former South Shields Harrier Karen Goldhawk, of the Royal Air Force, made it a great day for North-East athletics by winning the women's race in 77 minutes 36 seconds.

Northumbria Police estimated that more 200,000 people lined the 13.1-mile route.

In 1982, More than 50,000 fun runners applied for the 20,000 places available and in 1983, Carlos Lopez, of Portugal, became the first overseas winner of the Great North Run.

In 1986, the stature of the event was recognised when it became the final of the Pearl Assurance half-marathon series and it also hosted the AAA National Championships. In 1990, the run moved from June to September to fit with the needs of TV scheduling.

Paula Radcliffe and Zersenay Tadesse hold the record for the fastest times over the course.

Radcliffe finished in 65 minutes 40 seconds in 2003 and two years later, Tadesse, of Eritrea, achieved a time of 59 minutes 5 seconds in the men's race.

In 2005, four men died and Gateshead and South Tyneside Coroner Terrence Carney said at the inquest he hoped emergency access to the final stage of the race would be improved after hearing that ambulances struggled to get through the crowd.

Since 1981, there have been 696,671 finishers of the Great North Run - which is more than the population of Iceland