athletes from a Sunderland school hope to be running on gas when they take part in a fun run today.
Sixteen pupils from St Anne's RC Primary School, Pennywell, will join about 1,000 other runners in the British Gas Great North Cross Country event in Newcastle.
The youngsters, aged eight to 11, are members of the school's athletics club - set up by teacher Tara Alderson in September - and are in their first competitive race.
They are being sponsored to raise money for a new play area for the school.
Some of the world's top athletes will be taking part in the British Gas Great North Cross Country race.
They include world half-marathon record holder Susan Chepkemei, of Kenya, men's double world cross country champion Mohammed Mourhit, of Morocco, European cross country champion 2001 Sergiy Lebid, of Ukraine, and four-time European cross country champion Paulo Guerra, of Portugal
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