OVER 1,500 runners have signed up for Sunday’s Taunton Marathon and Half- Marathon.

The event is one of few in the South-West offering 26- and 13-mile distances, and has a high reputation on the athletics circuit with a Gold Grade from the British Association of Road Races.

One-third of the field are local entries with Taunton Athletic Club, Running Forever and newcomers Taunton Running Club all well represented.

“This is our 32nd event and we couldn’t keep putting it on without a lot of support from businesses and other organisations,” said race director John Lewis.

“Somerset College has looked after us really since 1983, when we started. We have facilities there other race organisers are very envious of. We’re happy to have Ashfords Solicitors as headline sponsors for the fourth year.”

Taunton Carnival Committee organises the Marathon and Half-Marathon to raise funds for local charities and help put on the illuminated procession in October.

Chairman Marilyn House said: “We know the runners’ efforts will raise thousands of pounds for lots of worthy causes.

“Our nominated charity this year is Mind, who will get £1 from every entry fee.”

The races start at Somerset College in Wellington Road at 10.30am.

The route takes runners through the town centre, out to Norton Fitwarren and along the B3227 to Hillcommon before going cross-country through Oake and Bradford-on-Tone, and back to the A38.

Runners tackle the climb through Rumwell and Stonegallows before turning off the main road into Bishop’s Hull, down over Netherclay, into Heron Drive and sprinting through the college grounds to the finish line for the 1,100 halfmarathon participants.

That’s halfway for around 200 marathon runners who set out on their second lap.

There are many vantage points around the circuit where spectators can cheer them on.

The runners will get through more than 7,000 bottles of water and sponges from eight stations around the route manned by local youth groups.

Their efforts at the finish are rewarded by Tshirts and medals, with a well-deserved banana to boost their recovery.

Even though many runners are regulars at the event and know the course well, there will plenty of marshals to make sure no-one goes the wrong way and help them all safely through the traffic.

St John Ambulance provides essential backup in case anyone is injured or falls ill while taking part.

For those not keen or too young for the longer distances, the Taunton Fun Runs will set off just after the main event.

Runners have a choice of 1.4km over hard ground or 2km using the playing field perimeter, weather permitting – both are entirely within the college campus and do not involve running on the highway.

Entries are still open and will be taken on the day up to the overall limit of 250.

Runners have chips attached to their numbers to record times electronically and produce results quickly.

The slogan is ‘No Chip No Time’, so runners will need to pin on their numbers securely.

The chips give runners individual times for distance, but England Athletics rules say the competitive element is decided on ‘gun time’.

The first across the line will take the major prizes with more than 20 other awards, including local and age categories, contested in each event.

The course best times have stood since the first few years of the event – Westbury Harriers’ Maurice Cowman stormed the marathon in two hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds in the first year the event was held, 1983, and no-one has come within six minutes of that time since.

Danny Kelly’s half-marathon 65 minutes 44 seconds came in 1984, and Cathy Newman holds both women’s records with a 2.53.03 marathon in 1985 and a 1.16.14 half-marathon four years later.

The organisers plan to keep disruption to a minimum, but there will be traffic congestion and delays.

Traffic will be stopped in Wellington Road in both directions for about ten minutes from 10.25am to allow the runners to leave the off-road start line at the college at 10.30am.

As the pack passes along Corporation Street, North Street and Bridge Street vehicles will be held up at various junctions to let them through. Towards Staplegrove, runners will spread out and traffic will be able to pass . . . with care.

Silk Mills Road will be closed to through traffic from 10.30am to 3pm in both directions between Netherclay Lane and Bindon Road to allow runners to come safely out of Netherclay Lane and get across the main road.

The road is open at the Bishop’s Hull end for two-way traffic to Heron Drive with access to St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice, Abbeyfield and Avery Garden Centre.

Diverted traffic will travel through the town centre or over The Third Way.

The single lane bridge at Bradford-on-Tone has been a pinch-point for several years with traffic badly affected, and this year it will be closed to all traffic between 11am and 1pm.

The diversion is via Nynehead. Drivers in Bishop’s Hull are asked to follow a voluntary one-way system that flows with the runners down Bishop’s Hull Hill and Netherclay Lane, but up Waterfield Drive, while the exit to Wellington Road from Bishop’s Hull Road will be closed.