rural two-lap event. There is also a half-marathon.FEES£8/£9, payable to Rotary Club of Stratford-upon-Avon by June 8. Entries on day (£12).ENTRIES TOM Bartlett, 40 St Andrews Crescent, Stratford Upon Avon, Warks CV37 9QL (01789 552951)E-MAILbardrun@shakespearemarathon.org.ukWEBSITEwww.shakespearemarathon.org.uk

minutes to go there was a good group of 15–20 of us laughing nervously in the sunshine.We broke up our little band to join the 2,500 other runners, going in small groups according to the pace we hoped to run at. There isn’t much space on the road in front

doesn’t reach 20 metres above sea level, so fast times are still achievable. It’s like mountain running, but without the mountains.Black and white houses line the route in StratfordShakespeare Marathon and Half-Marathon (Warks, April 24) Now in its 24th

: Saturday, May 18Halstead Marathon, Essex: Sunday, May 19 SummerLake Vyrnwy Marathon, Powys: Sunday June 2 Afford Rent-a-Car Potteries Marathon: Sunday, June 16 Blackpool Marathon: Sunday, June 23Isle of Man Marathon: Sunday, August 11 Longford BMW Cars

:51:26Point-to-point city marathon that took a dip in 2001 on new course 2002 date: October11 Snowdonia Marathon (14) 2:37:14/3:12:13A very tough course through mountainous North Wales 2002 date: October 2712 Blackpool Asics Marathon 2:37:38/3:16:52A very fast

finish. A great way to kick-start your 2006.More Scottish highlightsBalloch to Clydebank Half-Marathon (Dunbartonshire, Mar 12)Dumfries Marathon (Dumfries, Mar 19)Edinburgh Forthside Half-Marathon (Midlothian, Mar 26)Rough 'n' Tumble 10 - January 15Rough

. Enter online now.11. Virgin London Marathon12. Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running Marathon13. Great Welsh MarathonEnter online now.14. Rotary Shakespeare MarathonFind out more.15. Luton Marathon16. Gloucester MarathonEnter online now.17. Blackpool

the Brathay Windermere Marathon (May 16) or the Yorkshireman Off-Road Marathon (September 12), or try out two new big-city fixtures - the mbna Chester Marathon (May 31) or the Bradford City Marathon (October 17).With dozens of races taking place all over

Manchester, April 22) While 40,000 runners head to the capital for the Flora London Marathon, another 1,000 will be travelling to the north-west for this fast and friendly road race. Probably best described as a “mix of up and downs”, be prepared for a fair

races.Bolton 10K (Greater Manchester, April 23) While 40,000 runners have April 23 marked down in their calendars as Flora London Marathon day, 1000 in the North-west will have the Bolton 10K down instead. Run on the same day, the race offers a