THE 2016 Great North Run saw the widest range of countries ever represented in a running event.
The entrants came from 178 countries from the 193 UNregistered states. This was a far bigger number than contest the Olympic marathon, for example.
It led to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon describing the halfmarathon as a “true celebration of humanity, commitment and personal achievement” and an event “which epitomises the power of sport to bring people together”.