Tyne and Wear Museums have received permanent donations of Great North Run memorabilia spanning 30 years from Bupa Great North Run. Many of these items were on display during the In the Long Run... exhibition at the Great North Museum: Hancock and they will now be housed in the history stores at at the Discovery Museum to be used in future exhibitions, ensuring ongoing public access to this fascinating collection.

One of the items donated was a running kit from legendary athlete and winner of the 2010 Bupa Great North Run, Haile Gebrselassie. 

Director of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, Iain Watson said: "Haile Gebrselassie’s win in 2010 was another great moment in the history of the Bupa Great North Run, and for his kit to be housed permanently in another established North East institution gives it a safe and deserved place in history.We’re incredibly grateful to the Bupa Great North Run for entrusting us with these items of such international importance, and are glad and proud to be the keepers of such significant objects...”

In 2010 Haile Gebrselassie handed over a running shirt, shorts and shoes emblazoned with his nickname 'Neftenga', Ethiopian for 'The Boss', afterannouncing he’d be running the 30th anniversary race which he then won. The athlete has broken 37 world records, won numerous Olympic and World Championship titles and is considered by many to be one of the greatest distance runners in history. The kit will now be included permanently in the World Cultures collection at the Great North Museum: Hancock, marking the remarkable fact that over 50% of the winners of the Bupa Great North Run have come from Africa.

The other items donated by Bupa Great North Run are:

·        The finish line tape from the very first Great North Run which was held on Sunday 28 June 1981

·        Finish line tape from the Great North Run which was held on Sunday 19 September 2010

·        Great North Run train sign: in the 1990s, elite athletes were brought to the event by train, travelling from London to Newcastle on the East Coast main line. This sign was displayed on the train.

·        ChampionChip timing chip, 1994 - 2010: this small chip in white plastic casing is worn on a black Velcro ankle strap and triggered by electronic mats at the start and finish of the Great North Run in order to provide runners with an accurate, personalised time)

·        The 40 page official information guide, issued to runners competing in the first Great North Run on Sunday 28 June 1981

·        A framed Guinness World Records certificate marking when the Bupa Great North Run became the world's largest half-marathon on 22 October 2000 with 36,822 finishes

The Chairman of the Bupa Great North Run, Brendan Foster, said:

"In The Long Run was a really exciting exhibition by Great North Run Culture which gave people the chance to delve right into the event and find out more about its fascinating history and the thousands of people who’ve made it a success. We are delighted that a number of items showcased in the exhibition will now form part of Tyne and Wear Archives, meaning that the Great North Run is forever represented in the region’s museum collection.”

The In The Long Run exhibition, which saw over 150,0000 visitors will be shown again this year from 18 June – 1 October where the race ends in South Shields, at the South Shields Museum & Art Gallery. It forms part of Great North Run Culture 2011.