IT has been a popular fixture on the athletics calendar for nearly two decades, but this year's East Coast Run looks set to be the best yet.More than 400 competitors are expected line up for the 10km run through Great Yarmouth town centre later this month.

IT has been a popular fixture on the athletics calendar for nearly two decades, but this year's East Coast Run looks set to be the best yet.

More than 400 competitors are expected line up for the 10km run through Great Yarmouth town centre later this month.

Organised by Great Yarmouth Road Runners, the race on Sunday, October 26 is a chance for all to get fit and active

The event will be the culmination of months of preparation by a dedicated team led by race director Karen Manning.

Karen will also be kept busy on the day making sure everything goes according to plan with entrants getting safely round the course.

She said: “There is a lot of work involved beforehand to ensure that everyone enjoys the run. I have to make sure people are in the right place and everything is running to time.

“It is a popular event on the racing calendar amongst athletics clubs from London and East Anglia and half the around half the entrants are less experienced runners, mainly from the local area.

“There is added interest this year with the run being linked to the charter celebration and the commemorative medals will be a unique memento of the occasion. I hope that everyone has a great time and gets a personal best.”

Starting and finishing in the Market Place, the course will wind through the historic town centre and along the Golden Mile.

Everyone crossing the finishing line will be presented with a special commemorative charter seal medal, made by Ernie Childs of Great Yarmouth Potteries- a one-off.

Borough council culture, sport and leisure manager Marie Hartley said: “This is not just for serious runners, but a chance for workmates, students or friends to team up and have some fun getting fit for what we hope will be a memorable occasion.”

Ex-Olympian and Chicago Marathon winner Paul Evans has been recruited to provide a training programme and advice for novice runners.

Paul has provided a weekly training schedule and fitness tips in the Mercury, official media partner for the East Coast Run.

The event is being sponsored by NHS Yarmouth and Waveney with support from Active Norfolk, the GY Sports, Cultural and Town Centre Partnerships and Yarmouth Sport and Leisure Trust.

An entry form is published in this week's paper and fees are £8 for club members and £10 for non-club members.

wFor more details visit www.gyrr.co.uk or call race director Karen Manning on 01493 302179.

Training Plan

Please note this training plan is for aimed at road runners who ran and take exercise on a regular bases, all people following this plan should seek medical advice form there doctor before embarking on this programme.

When following the training programme, all training should begin with 5 min stretching & Jogging, paying particular notice of lower limbs, Hamstrings, calfs etc, each session should end with 5 min warm down, this will help you recover quicker, enabling you to be fresher for the next session.

Week 5

Monday, Oct 13 - Day off.

Tuesday, Oct 14 - 30 min to include (15x1) min at race pace, 1 min rec.

Wednesday, Oct 15- 30 min easy.

Thursday, Oct 16 - 40 min.

Friday, Oct 17 - Day off.

Saturday, Oct 18 - 50 min to include: (8x 2 min) at race pace, 2 min rec.

Sunday, Oct 19t - 60 min (run how you feel)