Brand-new 10k race at Barns Green Half Marathon will is to sustain popularity

The organisers have announced that for the first-ever time a brand-new 10k race will be run alongside this year’s half marathon.

The 34th annual running of the traditional 13.1-mile race will take on Sunday, September 25 - as will the new shorter race.

The half marathon will start at 10am and the 10km race at 10.20am - both at the same place, while the new race will finish beside the Green in Sandhill Road.

Jennings said: “This has been a very big decision for the Barns Green Half Marathon committee and one that required a lot of research and discussion.

“There are now many more races taking place around the country each year and it is getting increasingly hard to attract new runners to our event.

“What our research showed was that there are a lot of runners looking to take part in well organised official races such as ours but who don’t want to take on the 13-mile challenge and test of a half marathon.

“For many runners 10km is a much more appealing and achievable distance. Overall our objective is to maintain the entry levels and traditional high standards of our half marathon while establishing a totally new race.”

The 10k race, which will have an additional section in Christ’s Hospital School, will be open to anyone over the age of 16 and like the half marathon will take place on closed roads.

There will be the usual medals and prizes for the 10k race and the entrance fee will be £15 for affiliated runners and £17 for unaffiliated.

Last year almost 1,500 runners registered for the race which follows a route through the lanes of Itchingfield, Christ’s Hospital and close to Southwater through some of the most scenic countryside in West Sussex.

Almost £10,000 was raised by the 2015 race and all this money has been distributed to various charities, groups, youth and sports clubs in and around the village who helped with the staging of the race.

For further details on how to take part in the race, visit: barnsgreen-half.org.uk

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