Stafford Half Marathon and fun run set to take over town this weekend

The event will see 3,000 runners tackle the 13.1-mile route on Sunday.

A number of road closures will be in place between the hours of 6am and 1.30pm, with the half marathon starting at 10am and the fun run being at 10.10am.

Race director Liz Hulse said: "We are delighted to be back in the county town delivering this well-established community event.

"All the road closures are phased to keep disruption to a minimum and are in place for the safety of runners, volunteers and the public.

"These events are a great way to engage with local people, especially the Fun Run which is really accessible to all – whether children, families looking to run together or those new to running. We are pleased to see so many children joining in with their families, because a fun event like this can instil an active lifestyle from a young age.

"Volunteers from local organisations also help with stewarding, handing out water, bananas, T-shirts and medals, as well as directing runners. We couldn’t do it without them, so a huge ‘thank you’ to all those people and good luck to everyone taking part."

The half marathon will start at 10am in Stafford Street in the town centre, before heading out to Newport Road, down West Way, along the Wolverhampton Road, up Lichfield Road and Radford Bank, down through Baswich towards Kingston Hill, along Beaconside, down the Stone Road and picking up the Isabel Trail to Victoria Park before the finish line in Market Square.

The fun run will start 10 minutes after the half marathon and is open to everyone, although under-12s need to be accompanied by an adult. It must be entered in advance and is free to children attending schools in the Stafford borough.

Councillor Carolyn Trowbridge, cabinet member for leisure, said: "The Stafford Half Marathon is always one of the most popular events in the local sporting calendar. It is more than just a race – it is the opportunity for runners to raise thousands of pounds for charities, often with very personal stories of taking on this challenge to remember loved ones or help those in need.

"It will be great to see the runners cheered on by enthusiastic spectators who line the route and help all the competitors to keep going to the very end. Alongside the Stafford Half is our ‘fun run’ which is a positive way to get youngsters, along with their families, involved in physical activity in the wonderful atmosphere in the heart of our county town. I hope it will encourage our younger residents to be the half marathon runners of the future."

The event is organised by Freedom Leisure in partnership with Stafford Borough Council and is sponsored by the University of Wolverhampton, in Stafford town centre, which has delivered free public lectures for runners. Second-year students from the university’s sports and exercise degree course will be providing sports massages for runners.