The Great Run Company

The Great Run Company is a United Kingdom events company specialising in the development, design, organisation and rights management of mass participation and televised sporting events.

The business is headed up by chief executive Mark Hollinshead,[1] while founder Brendan Foster is the company's chairman.

Former European and Commonwealth champion Brendan Foster was inspired to organise an event in his native North-East England,[2] after taking part in the Round the Bays event in Auckland, New Zealand.

In 1988, Nova International Ltd was established to manage all Great Run assets as well as its own film department FilmNova and its sportswear brand View From.

In 2014 the Great North Run became the first event in the world to be officially recognised by the IAAF for achieving the milestone one millionth finish.