The race will be started at 10am from Berry Hill Park by Mansfield Mayor Coun Tony Eggington, and takes the mix of elite national standard athletes, club runners and the fun runners on their 13.2 mile journey around the town.

Last years Ladies winner Lisa Palmer, formerly of Derby AC but now competing in the colours of Heanor Running club, will be out to retain her title.

But she will have to work very hard to beat Nicola Clay from Stilton Striders in Leicestershire who has a personal best of more than three minutes quicker than Lisa.

Each year the winner of the men's race seems to enter on the day and with a different international standard runner unexpectedly turning up.
Last year local Great Britain cross-country international runner Billy Farquarson entered on the day and won in a fast sub 67 minute clocking ahead of Salford's GB marathon international runner Thomas Abyu.

Quickest on the entry list to date is Jonathon Bateman from Scarborough who has a best of sub 69 minutes.

Mansfield Harriers' up and coming youngster, 18-year-old James Mee, makes his debut over this distance and is clearly capable of a top 10 finish.

James's family won't have to go further than the front door to watch him as the race literally passes their house on Woodhouse Road.

The course starts at Berry Hill Park and takes the runners down Oak Tree Lane to Forest Town, down Old Mill Lane to the Five Ways, then left along Woodhouse Road and into Carr Bank park.

A short tour through the town centre and the runners make their way up through Littleworth and along Forest Road to Nottingham Road.

Then it is uphill to West Notts College and onto the MARR road emerging at Southwell Road at the Widdecombe Fair.

It's then a short loop around Berry Hill estate before entering the park and sweeping down to the finish on the running track.

All of the runners will receive a free T-shirt and 'goody bag' courtesy of race sponsors the CHAD, Mansfield Building Society and Available Car.com.

There will be some road closures on Sunday morning and the affected roads have had signage up on them for the last week or so.

The Mansfield Half Marathon is the largest community sporting event held in Mansfield with about 1,000 runners tackling the half marathon and another 2,000 in the Howarth Family Fun Run.

The Howarth Fun Run will attract many local schools and community groups . Many of these will be raising funds and generally enjoying the carnival atmosphere of the morning.

Although postal entries have now closed, entries will still be taken on the morning of the race. Race organisors are encouraging anyone who is thinking of entering on Sunday morning to come early. Entries will be taken from 8.30am.

The race is organised to a high standard and is accredited with UK Athletics and the British Association of Road Races as a Gold Standard event.
Facilities include full changing ,showers, toilets, medical support, refreshments, free parking, massage and physio.

The course has been certified as being accurately measured to a half marathon distance and in addition to regular water and sponge stations, five and 10 mile split times will be given.


A full computerised result list will be available within 30 minutes of the race being finished.

Full results are available on the website within 24 hours and published in next week's CHAD.

Several novice runners who will be tackling the race for the very first time this year have been training with Mansfield Harriers.

In the race goody bag will be an invitation for any unattached runners to come up and join Mansfield Harriers plus an entry form for the club's Open 5K Autumn Road Race which is being held in early September.

More details of the race including full results from previous years can be found on the race website www.mansfieldhalf.co.uk.

The race telephone hotline number is 01623 471244.