THE 10th anniversary running of the Ealing Half Marathon takes place on Sunday week (September 25) and excitement is building.

Thousands of runners from more than 15 countries are preparing to take part in one of the UK’s best-loved races.

It is West London’s only fully-closed road half marathon and is known for its community support. Thousands of spectators are once more expected to line the route.

Co-founder Kelvin Walker will be the official race starter as runners leave Lammas Park at 9am.

The 13.1-mile course will then take in Central Ealing, Montpelier, Pitshanger, West Ealing, Hanwell and St Stephens, before returning to Lammas Park. The route map can be downloaded here.

Official race charities are Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Meadow House Hospice. This year’s event is expected to make a significant addition to the £3m raised for charity in the last nine years.

Launching race weekend is the Ealing Mini Mile on Saturday, September 24, giving young runners and their families the chance to get involved in the weekend of sport.

It consists of eight separate races for the age categories 6-16. There is also a Family Mini Mile for runners aged 5 and under, starting at midday in Lammas Park.

The full race guide can be downloaded here.

Road closures will come into effect before the start, but the race village in Lammas Park is well served by public transport. Full details about road closures and bus diversions can be found on the website at www.ealinghalfmarathon.com/resident-information.

There are plenty of excellent vantage points for spectators, including the following locations where runners pass by twice: Uxbridge Road, Pitshanger Lane, Drayton Bridge Road and Cuckoo Avenue.

The 2021 Ealing Half Marathon was won by Jonathan Poole with a time of 1:08:50 and Melissah Gibson in 1:19:51.

Sandra Courtney, race director, said: “This is the 10th anniversary of the race and we are immensely proud to see it get bigger and better each year.

“We have a fantastic team of 700 volunteers all ready to make the day run smoothly and we can’t wait to cheer on every single runner, from running club members to our amazing charity runners."

General entries and charity entries close at 10pm this Friday (16). Go to www.ealinghalfmarathon.com for further race info.