2 March 2011
A record number of entrants will be taking part in the Eastbourne Hospitality Association Half Marathon on Sunday and organisers are calling for visitors and residents to come along and cheer everyone on.
More than 1,250 people have signed up to take part in this weekend’s event, which starts at Princes Park and takes in a round route along the seafront and through Sovereign Harbour Marina.
With entrants setting off from Princes Park at 10am, organisers hope to see plenty of spectators at the start line and along the route providing some much needed encouragement.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism Cllr Neil Stanley said “Wow, what a fantastic turnout there is for this year’s Eastbourne Hospitality Association Half Marathon! With over 1,250 people already committed to taking part, there should also be more last minute runners signing up on the day so I’d like to wish everyone taking part all the best! And with some great prizes on offer, supported by the Eastbourne business community, it’s certainly going to be a very rewarding day for everyone taking part.”
This year’s packed line up of entrants includes a completely blind lady, a man running the course twice, and one competitor who is travelling all the way from Belgium to take part!
With the record time for completing the Half Marathon standing at 1 hour 11 minutes, organisers expect to see the first runners home just after 11am.
Mike Reid, from Reid+Dean who are again sponsoring the event, said “Two years ago we were thrilled to reach 1,000 entrants and for numbers to have grown so quickly beyond this is fantastic. It is testimony to a great team effort to develop the Half Marathon, which is becoming one of Eastbourne’s major events attracting entrants not just locally but, nationally and now, internationally.”
This Sunday’s event also sees a special course for budding young runners, with a 1km race for under 12s and a 2km race for under 17s taking place at 10.15am and 10.30am, with up to 50 juniors expected to take on a mini marathon of their own.
With the event raising vital funds towards many local charities, £2,500, representing the final proceeds from the 2010 Eastbourne Hospitality Association Half Marathon, will be presented to the Eastbourne RNLI on Sunday morning.
For more information, to find out about entering on the day, or to view a map showing the route, go to the Eastbourne Half Marathon website.
