County Durham will take a sporting lead again in 2025 with another summer of big events, including the return of the Durham City Run Festival. Organisers have revealed details of this year’s festival, which will kick-off with a special evening in the Gala Theatre to mark the 40th anniversary of North East athletics legend Steve Cram setting three world records in under three weeks. Organised by Events of the North, in partnership with Durham County Council and Durham University, the 2025 Durham City Run Festival will be held from 16-19 July.
Since the first races took place in 2016, the Durham City Run Festival has grown into one of the most popular major grass roots sports events on the North East calendar. The starting gun for this year’s festival will be fired with an event in the Gala Theatre on the evening of Wednesday 16 July. Hosted by former BBC Look North presenter Jeff Brown, Durham City Run founder Steve Cram will tell the story of how he set three track world records in just 19 days in the summer of 1985. In doing so, he became the first athlete to set world records at three different distances. Cram will share insights, images and footage, 40 years after his achievements captivated sports fans everywhere.
The Durham City Run 5K and 10K races will return on Thursday 17 July, starting outside the Radisson Blu hotel and finishing at the Durham Cathedral and Castle World Heritage Site. Paula Radcliffe’s Families on Track will also be back, on Saturday 19 July. Families on Track encourages family groups to get active together by giving them the opportunity to complete a 10K distance in a continuous relay, with the emphasis on fun. The council is working closely with Events of the North to add extra family activities to the event, plus live music provided by performers who will feature in Durham BRASS this year. More events will be added to the Durham City Run Festival schedule during the weeks and months ahead.
The Durham City Run Festival will be one of the highlights of Durham County Council’s busy calendar of festivals and events during 2025, designed to cement Durham’s position as ‘The Culture County.’
The council’s leisure provider Thrive is now an official partner of the festival, and will use the event to support the Moving Together in County Durham strategy that aims to help more residents lead active, healthier lives This is all part of wider work that the county council is doing in its role of portfolio lead for culture, tourism and sports within the North East Combined Authority.
Durham University is a key partner of the Durham City Run Festival. At the 2024 event, over 250 runners took part who had a connection to the university, which has ambitions to increase that number this year. Many festival participants will be raising money for good causes, including official charity partner Red Sky Foundation, which promoted heart health and installs community defibrillators in the county.
Durham City Run Festival founder Steve Cram comments: “It certainly doesn’t feel like 40 years since I set those world records, and I can remember each race as clearly as if they took place yesterday. It will be a privilege to chat with Jeff on stage in the Gala Theatre, and share my recollections of what was an amazing time for me. My running story started on the streets of the North East, and I hope that it inspires a new generation to try the sport. That’s at the heart of why we put on the Durham City Run Festival – to get more people active and enjoying that experience. We’ll be working hard with Durham County Council and Durham University to deliver our best festival yet, and one that sees more people involved than ever.”
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, leader of Durham County Council, adds: “We are delighted to support the return of the Durham City Run Festival this summer. The festival offers a fantastic opportunity for families and individuals to come together and take part in a vibrant and exciting event, in the stunning setting of the city centre.
“Taking place alongside Durham BRASS, the Durham City Run Festival will enable participants and spectators to enjoy the city’s heritage and culture while also enjoying their run or cheering on their loved ones, cementing our position as ‘The Culture County’ and highlighting County Durham as a great platform for staging first class events.
“We’re also delighted to be welcoming the region’s very own world-class athlete, Steve Cram, to Gala Durham to share his success story with fans. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Steve’s three world records is the perfect way to start the festival and, hopefully, inspire a future generation of runners across County Durham and the North East.”
Nathan Sempala-Ntege, associate pro-vice chancellor colleges and student experience, Durham University, comments: “We’re delighted to support the Durham City Run Festival again this year. It provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the university’s close links with the city and region, and to promote sport and wellbeing for all.”
Tickets for the special event at the Gala Theatre are now available on the Gala website: https://galadurham.co.uk/galapost/back-to-1985/, and entries for all events at the Durham City Run Festival are now open at www.durhamcityrunfestival.com
