The sight of the Red Arrows trailing plumes of red, white and blue smoke as they soar above the heads of runners teeming over Tyne Bridge is a defining image of the Great North Run.
The iconic sight always has people rushing for their cameras - if they're not one of the tens of thousands taking part that is - in the hope of snapping the flypast by the RAF display team which has become one of the highlights of the half-marathon. But it's a blink-and-you-miss it moment and, unless you've been scanning the skies in readiness, you could well find you have a snap of nothing more than those vapour trails.
The Great North Run will be taking place on September 11 this year, with a return to its traditional route following its one-off change last year when it marked its delayed 40-year anniversary outing with a Newcastle-focused run in keeping with Covid hotspot concerns over the potential of too many people gathering at the South Shields finish.
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This September's event will see the route end at the coast as normal and the Red Arrows have confirmed that they will be back too. The team took part in 2021 around following an absence of two years - due to commitments abroad in 2019 then the run's pandemic cancellation in 2020 - and this year we're in for a double treat.
On Great North Run day they will be appearing in both Newcastle, as the event gets under way, and again in South Shields: with a fly-past over the Tyne Bridge followed by a full display over the finish line. To ensure you don't miss the sight - and sound - of the Red Arrows in action, here are the timings which have been revealed for the day.
What time will the Red Arrows appear at the Great North Run?
Newcastle - the Red Arrows are due to fly over the Tyne Bridge at 11am. The sight is always captured on the live TV coverage and is the crowning glory of the colourful sight of masses of runners pouring over the city's most famous bridge after the professional athletes have led the way. Keep watching after that time as the planes fly a loop of the city so you should see them immediately fly back again.
South Shields - keep an eye out at 1.45pm for the aerial team's second appearance of the day, with a full display celebrating the achievement of the tens of thousands of runners who have completed the wold-famous half-marathon and raised vital funds for charity.
Remember that although the Red Arrows are sticklers for timing and their preparations are as precise as it’s possible to be, anything of course can be subject to change. Weather is always something of an unknown - and we'll be bringing you up-to-date weather forecasts in the run-up to the event - and it is possible that the unexpected can mar well-laid plans.
So, fingers crossed that there won't be any cloud to affect the display and that visibility will be good so that we can all watch what promises to be the usual spot-on choreographed manoeuvre by the team of planes. The North East is lucky to have its usual slot as the Red Arrows, as you might expect, have a packed calendar of commitments and their display season can include two airshow displays and several flypasts in a single day.
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