Alumni go the distance to support the next generation at the Great North Run
In September 2026, 35 Newcastle University alumni, colleagues and friends will take on the biggest and best half-marathon in the world – right on our doorstep – united by a shared purpose of supporting students on campus! Amongst them are alumni couple and half-marathon first-timers, Chloe and George Kelly.
15 June 2026
Chloe and George Kelly are returning to Newcastle this September not just to run 13.1 miles, but to give back to the university that shaped their lives.
Year after year, the Great North Run brings tens of thousands of runners to the North East. For Team Newcastle, every step along the iconic route from Newcastle to South Shields carries extra meaning - helping to raise vital funds for the Newcastle University Student Fund.
In just the past two years, alumni runners have raised over £25,000 to support students facing financial pressures and barriers to opportunity. Now, with the largest team yet preparing for race day, that impact is set to grow even further. And you can be a part of it. Get involved by sponsoring our 35 runners on JustGiving today.
From access scholarships and hardship funding to discounted meals on campus, course materials and essential equipment, the funds raised help ensure that every student has the chance to succeed and thrive, regardless of their background.
With just three months to go until race day, we caught up with two of this year’s Team Newcastle runners: a couple whose love story began right here at Newcastle University!
An alumni love story begins
Dr Chloe Kelly (née Grant) first arrived on campus in 2018, having grown up at the opposite end of the Great North Run route in South Shields. “The run actually finishes on the road of my childhood home,” Chloe laughs, “so I have grown up with it.”
After completing her Master’s in Immunobiology, Chloe continued her studies at Newcastle University, gaining her PhD in our 2024 winter congregations. It was while studying for her PhD that she first met her now-husband George.
While not from the North East himself, George’s parents are from Newcastle, and he has been a lifelong fan of Newcastle United FC. So, studying at Newcastle University was a “no-brainer”, George told us.
After completing his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, George specialised in molecular biology for his postgraduate studies, graduating with his PhD in 2023. The pair met at a conference at nearby Durham University while both PhD students and thank a tricky locked door for bringing them together! Chloe told us:
“I met George as he was struggling with the code of a door I was coming out of. We walked to the evening dinner together and had our first date five days later.”
Stepping out of comfort zones and into the future
Chloe and George’s first date saw them visit the Old George, Bridge Tavern and Alvino’s in town. While the pair now live in Berkshire, they return to Newcastle often and always visit these bars on their Toon pilgrimage.
George proposed shortly before Chloe’s PhD graduation, and the couple returned to campus newly engaged with their new dog in tow too! “It was a full-circle moment,” Chloe smiles.
The pair are now married and live in Wokingham. Having both dedicated their studies at Newcastle to the sciences, they are now dedicating their career to the field. Chloe is a postdoc at The Pirbright Institute, and George is a research scientist for a pharmaceutical company.
Reminiscing on their university days, the Kellys said:
“University is a very fun and rewarding time. In our view it was the best days of our lives so far. You learn a lot about yourself and step out of your comfort zone. Our PhDs definitely equipped us with the research skills and scientific knowledge to perform those jobs.”
Returning to where it all began
Chloe and George will be returning to Newcastle this September to take on the world’s biggest and best half-marathon, which coincidentally was also set up by another member of our alumni community, Sir Brendan Foster!
The pair are new to running, with Chloe using it as an opportunity to explore her new hometown when the couple moved from Newcastle two years ago. She said:
“It is very therapeutic. Wokingham has lots of countryside and the routes are gorgeous. It became hard not to love. George insisted he wouldn't join me, but around a year later he did!”
Chloe and George have now joined a local run club and are both feeling excited but apprehensive about taking on their first half-marathon. Chloe said:
“My Mum ran the Great North Run when I was younger, and I have always known other people to take part. It will be a nice place to do our first half-marathon, and we’re looking forward to achieving it together.”
Turning miles into meaningful impact
At Newcastle University, we are committed to ensuring every student has the chance to succeed and thrive, regardless of their background. We have a long-standing commitment to widening participation and equality of opportunity, something we are incredibly proud of.
Donations to the Newcastle University Student Fund have made schemes offering affordable meals and free period products on campus possible, alleviating some of the pressure faced by our student community.
The Fund also helps students to make the most of their time on campus by getting involved in sports clubs and societies organised by the Students' Union.
In the past year, donations have supported Newcastle Student Radio in purchasing new equipment and residents at Bowsden Court in developing an allotment. The Fund has also helped Business students visit some of the UK's leading employers in London, financed free meal services during assessment periods, and helped set up a scientific calculator lending service, to name just a few projects.
Since it was established in 2021, the Newcastle University Student Fund has provided over £1.5m to student causes across our three campuses around the world. You can continue this great work by sponsoring Chloe and George today.
Since it was established in 2021, the Newcastle University Student Fund has provided over £1.5m to student causes across our three campuses around the world.
Cheer on Team Newcastle
Every step taken along the 13.1-mile route will raise money to provide vital support such as: access and participation scholarships and bursaries, hardship funding, IT equipment, food supplies, course materials, books and much more.
Donations will go towards our mission of making higher education accessible to those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, including those fleeing war and conflict around the world and on our very doorstep in the North-East where, in some neighbourhoods, only 12% of pupils progress to higher education.
We don't want any student to miss out on what makes belonging to Newcastle University so special. Your support will help change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
