The Great North Run takes place this weekend when thousands will descend on the north east to tackle the famous course, which this year celebrates its 45th anniversary.The world’s biggest half marathon will see a record 63,000 runners take on the route from Newcastle to South Shields.Elite women’s and men’s fields, as well as wheelchair races, will hit the road before the mass start. Kenyan defending champions Alex Mutiso and Sheila Chepkirui return and are hot favourites to double up, while home favourite Eilish McColgan will be hoping to claim a maiden win at the race after returning from a foot injury which ruled her out of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Here’s everything you need to know.What is the schedule?The Great North Run takes place on Sunday 13 September, with the races beginning at 10.20am BST. 10:20 - Elite wheelchair10:25am - Elite women10:27 Visually impaired (VI) participants10:50 - Elite men and massesHow to watchCoverage will begin on BBC One at 10am BST. Licence fee payers can watch via the iPlayer app and website. Eilish McColgan returns from a foot injury (PA)What is the route?The Great North Run starts in Newcastle, on the A167 close to Claremont Road. The route takes runners over the River Tyne to Gateshead and east to finish at South Shields after a final mile-long seafront stretch. The route is undulating, with miles 8-12 considered the toughest section tracking largely uphill.Elite fieldsMen Alex Mutiso, KenyaCasey Clinger, USAAbdi Nageeye, The NetherlandsZouhair Talbi, USAClayton Young, USABen Connor, Great Britain & NIDeresa Geleta, EthiopiaTaiga Hirayama, JapanAyumu Kobayashi, JapanTatsuya Maruyama, JapanKosei Matsunami, JapanYohei Ikeda, JapanShoya Yonei, JapanIliass Aouani, ItalyJared Ward, USANaoki Aiba, JapanJake Barraclough, USAKieran Tuntivate, ThailandAron Gebremariam, EritreaAndy Butchart, Great Britain & NIAlfie Manthorpe, Great Britain & NIWoody Kincaid, USAYuki Takei, JapanCalum Johnson, Great Britain & NICameron Allan, Great Britain & NIHugh Armstrong, IrelandKillian Mooney, IrelandNorman Shreeve, Great Britain & NIJamie Burns, Great Britain & NITimothy Lefroy, Great Britain & NICole Gibbons, Great Britain & NICarl Avery, Great Britain & NICorrin Leeming, Great Britain & NIKieren Walker, Great Britain & NICallum Davidson, Great Britain & NISamuel Roberts, Great Britain & NIDean Williamson, Great Britain & NIDillon Hobbs, Great Britain & NIChris Coulson, Great Britain & NIDavid Green, Great Britain & NIMilan Campion, Great Britain & NIPatrick Roddy, Great Britain & NIJoshua Birmingham, Great Britain & NIMathieu van Overeem, BelgiumAndrew Davies, Great Britain & NITom Charles, Great Britain & NIjohn Battrick, Great Britain & NIIan Davies, Great Britain & NIFinn Bodie, Great Britain & NIJarlethh McKenna, Great Britain & NIAidan Thompson, Great Britain & NIConnor Rogers, Great Britain & NIRob Payne, Great Britain & NIMathis Brun, FranceJack Eykelbosch, Great Britain & NIWomenSheila Chepkirui, KenyaBrigid Kosgei, KenyaEilish McColgan, Great Britain & NIAmy-Eloise, Great Britain & NITirunesh Dibaba, EthiopiaViola Lagat, KenyaMelknat Wudu, EthiopiaHonami Maeda, JapanShiori Zama, JapanRio Einaga, JapanRebecca Weston, Great Britain & NIChrista Cain, Great Britain & NINancy Scott, Great Britain & NIPhillipa Williamson, Great Britain & NIStacey Ormerod, Great Britain & NIAmy Lowe, Great Britain & NIElizabeth Talbi, USALucy Cardno, Great Britain & NILauren Charlton, Great Britain & NIHannah Lewis, Great Britain & NILindsay Skinner, Great Britain & NILucy Morrison, Great Britain & NIEmma Taylor, Great Britain & NIRachel Laurie, Great Britain & NIFreya Ross, Great Britain & NIRuby Woolfe, Great Britain & NIEvie Warren, Great Britain & NIClaire Frankland, Great Britain & NIMini Corden-Lloyd, Great Britain & NIKatie Latham, Great Britain & NIAmy Anderson, Great Britain & NIEllen McLeod, Great Britain & NIChloe Dooley, Great Britain & NIGrace Tindall, Great Britain & NIVictoria Atkinson, IrelandHarriet Preedy, Great Britain & NIEloise Bull, Great Britain & NICatherine O’Connor, Great Britain & NISaffron Latham, Great Britain & NIGeorgina Weston, Great Britain & NIRachael Rozhdestvenskaya, Great Britain & NIClare Stewart, Great Britain & NIAbigayle Horne, Great Britain & NICaitlyn Heggie, Great Britain & NIDavina Ellis, Great Britain & NI