The John West Great North Swim and John West Great North SwimRun, which were scheduled to take place on the weekend of 5 – 7 June 2020 have been cancelled.
The decision to cancel the events has been taken following government advice on slowing the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). In addition, organisers have acknowledged the increased pressure on public services that the coronavirus outbreak is causing.
Organisers have confirmed that all entrants will be able to claim a refund and that they are in the process of contacting everyone who is signed up for the John West Great North Swim and John West Great North Swim Run by email with further information.
Paul Foster, Chief Executive at the Great Run Company, said: “We understand this will be disappointing news to the people who were planning to take part, but the safety of participants, spectators and of all those associated with the staging of the events is always our number one priority.
“We would also like to highlight the fantastic support we get from health professionals at our events, many of whom work with us on a voluntary basis. We know they will be dealing with additional pressure both in their work and personal lives at this time.
“We want to thank all of our participants and partners for their continued support and understanding.”
Many people taking on the challenge would have been doing it for charity; at this time charity donations are probably more important than ever before. Those who are signed up to take part in the John West Great North Swim will still have the opportunity to claim their medal. All swimmers have to do is submit a photo showing how they have been managing to get their swimming, or any other activity, in at home and they will receive their medal in the post. Instructions confirming the medal process will be emailed to them.
Paul Foster said: “Event day is only a small part of the challenge our swimmers take on, they put in a huge amount of preparation and training in the weeks and months before. They should be able to celebrate that achievement. We encourage those who were signed up to swim to recognise all the hard work they have already put in and consider still passing on the money raised to the charity if possible.”
