THE THIRD Kielder Marathon, which ended in controversy last year when a leading runner was disqualified for catching a spectators' bus during the race, will be held at Northern Europe's largest man-made lake tomorrow.

Labelled "the most beautiful marathon in the UK" the event - organised by former Olympian Steve Cram - hit the headlines when Wearsider Rob Sloan, winner of the previous day's Kielder 10K, was found to have cut six miles off the race by waving down and catching the bus before finishing third.

But the organisers and the fourth finisher - a Borders policeman - smelled a rat when it was found that Sloan was the only athlete to have run the second half of the race faster than the first and he was disqualified and later banned by his club, Sunderland Harriers.

Today's Kielder 10K starts at 1pm, while the 26.2-mile test around the lake gets underway at 10.15am tomorrow.

The English National Road Relay Championships have found a new venue at Clumber Park, Nottingham next weekend after an e-coli outbreak put their original venue at Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield, out of bounds. Six North-East teams - Morpeth, Gateshead A & B, Durham City, New Marske and Tyne Bridge - will compete in next Saturday's men's six-stage event after qualifying at Leigh last month. Women's teams of four have until next Wednesday (October 10) to enter.