A ROAD race expected to attract more than a thousand competitors from all over the North-East was launched yesterday.

Darlington's annual 10km road run, along with a fun run and 3.5km race for youngsters aged 14 to 16, will take place on Sunday, August 10.

The event, organised by Darlington Borough Council and the town's Rotary Club and sponsored by Sherwoods car dealership, has raised about £40,000 for charities since the mid-1980s.

This year, all profits from the race will go to the Rainbow Trust, a charity which helps the families of terminally ill children.

The council's events organiser Jeff Dawson said: "The race is good for the town and it promotes exercise and being healthy, though I wouldn't say you have to be fantastically fit to do it.

"The nice thing is that we get so much local support. The whole race will be completely traffic-free this year, which is quite a coup in terms of safety. We expect a lot of people to take part."

Runners must be aged over 15 to take part in the 10km race. It costs £7 for athletics club members and £8 for non-members. Runners can save £2 on their fee by buying The Northern Echo on Friday and filling in our entry form.

The fun run is £2 for adults and £1 for children and entry to the junior race is £3.