TENS of thousands of fun runners and dozens of the world's elite athletes are making final preparations for tomorrow's Bupa Great North Run.

The 23rd running of the annual half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields has attracted 47,000 people, with the earliest closure in entries in its history.

The run - the biggest road race in Britain and the top destination for road athletes and community runners and joggers from cities across the United Kingdom and Europe - reached its field capacity of 47,000 participants several months ago.

Nova International marketing director David Hart said: "The Bupa Great North Run has filled up substantially quicker than ever before.

"The fact we filled up so quickly and so far in advance of the event shows that it is one of the premier and most popular international road events in the world."

After the front-running elite field for men, women and wheelchair athletes, most of the others are in the run category, with a star-studded list of celebrities.

Women have fuelled the surge in distance road running, traditionally a male-dominated pursuit.

Mr Hart said women who believed they could never jog a mile were turning up to events like the Great North Run in droves.

They have been inspired by performances from champions such as Paula Radcliffe, the world's fastest-ever women's half marathoner, Susan Chepkemei from Kenya and Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan.

Heroic performances by community and charity runners such as breast cancer patient Jane Tomlinson are also thought to have played a role in more women taking part in distance road events.

Among the heroes at this year's event are a man who was in hospital for a year and in a coma for four weeks after a car accident, three women aged 81, 79 and 77, who are raising funds for causes such as Breast Cancer Research, and a man who has been training on a treadmill on a North Sea rig.

A team of London's top executive chefs, including Anton Edelman, of the Savoy, John Williams, of Claridges, and Henri Brosi, of the Dorchester- have entered to raise cash for the Children's Kidney Unit at the Newcastle RVI.

Among the celebrities taking part are actress Brenda Blethyn, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, the BBC Weather Centre Team, including presenter Helen Willetts, and BBC sports presenter Rob Bonnet.

Others expected to lace up for charity include Ben Shepherd, of GMTV, Leicester Football Club manager Micky Adams, Sports Minister Richard Caborn, British Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent and television personality Matthew Wright.

BBC1 will provide live coverage from 9.30am

Jane's an inspiration

A Terminal cancer patient who won the nation's heart by pushing herself to compete in long distance events is joining the run.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Jane Tomlinson, hopes to add the region's most famous distance race to her successes this year in the London Marathon and London Triathlon Run.

She will be raising money for her fund, Jane's Appeal.

David Hart, of organisers Nova International, said: "Jane's courage and determination in the face of such adversity never ceases to amaze everyone associated with the Bupa Great North Run."