Tens of the thousands of fun runners and some of the world's elite athletes are all limbering up for Sunday's BUPA Great North Run.

The 22nd running of the annual half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields has attracted a record 47,000 field, but with only a handful of genuine contenders in the men's, women's and wheelchair events.

After the front-running elite field, and the pick of the club athletes, most of the rest of the entrants are very much in the "fun" category, with a host of star names joining the "also rans" for the day.

There will be the usual array of pantomime dromedaries, cross-dressing French maids, Orville the ducks and Batmen and Robins bringing up the rear, many boosting the coffers of a host of charities by their efforts.

While very much the main event, Sunday's half-marathon is the culmination of a weekend festival of running on Tyneside.

Organisers at sports promotions agency Nova International have spread the programme over two days, concentrating tomorrow's activities on the Newcastle and Gateshead Quaysides, in the shadow of the new Millennium "Blinking Eye" Bridge.

Nova marketing director David Hart said: "I can assure everyone that with lots going on everywhere, this is going to be the best BUPA Great North Run ever."

Between 12.30pm and 2pm there will be a series of BUPA Great North Mile challenge races, for wheelchair competitors, under-20 male and females and international men and women.

Running over a circular course, taking in both Millennium and Swing bridges, the fields include top athletes Kelly Holmes, Jolanda Ceplak, Reyes Estevez and Rui Silva.

They are followed by the Junior Great North Run, starting near the law court complex, on the Newcastle Quayside, at 2.30pm.

An entry of around 6,000 youngsters will go under starters orders prior to tackling a five kilometre course taking in both bridges, all covered live by Children's BBC tv.

The youngsters then head off to Gateshead Stadium for a concert featuring several teen bands, also covered by Children's BBC.

Saturday's activities end with the now traditional Pasta Party, in which thousands of Great North Run competitors load up on carbohydrates, courtesy of store group Tesco, near the finish line at South Shields.

Triple Olympic gold medal winning oarsman Matthew Pinsent will start events on Sunday, on the Central Motorway in Newcastle.

The wheelchair athletes, including multi-Olympian Tanni-Grey Thompson, start at 10.10am, with the elite women, headed by Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan and an array of African contenders, starting at 10.15am, while the rest of the runners underway at 10.40am.

Runners follow the usual route, across the Tyne Bridge, onto the Felling by-pass, along the John Reid, King George and Prince Edward roads, up Redwell Lane, before finishing on South Shields' sea front.

Road closures along the route come into force from midnight on Saturday onwards, with the first stretches reopening from around 3pm.

Metro trains will operate every seven-and-a-half minutes on stretches of the network between Newcastle Airport and South Shields between 7am and 5pm on Sunday, with the cross-Tyne ferries running continuously from 10am to 5pm.

Shuttle buses will also run throughout between the ferry landings, Metro stops and other transport interchanges.