Flyers Southend have announced that they will be hosting the annual Ekiden Relay Race on Sunday September 10.

The race, which will be taking place for the second time, will see teams of five compete over a marathon distance of 26.2 miles, with each team member completing 5.24 miles.

However, runners will once again enter individually, with the organisers then impartially creating teams with a range of abilities and speeds.

And race director Alex Thornton is looking forward to the event.

“Flyers Southend ran this race for the first time last year and 20 teams finished within eight minutes of each other, which was fantastic,” said Thornton.

“With each team having a mix of experienced, faster runners and newcomers to the sport, it was a fantastic day out with everyone encouraging and supporting each other. We are looking forward to similar this year.”

Proceeds from the race - which is being held at Gunners Park - will benefit the Finish Line Fund, which supports families affected by serious injury or death while participating in sporting activities in East Essex, and Essex Wildlife Trust.

Entry numbers are limited to 150. To book your place, visit fullonsport.com/event/flyers-ekiden-relay-2017/profile