ORGANISERS of the Virtual Durham City Run Festival have unveiled details of new additions to the programme for next week’s four-day event.

Taking place from Thursday to Sunday, the virtual festival will now include a schedule of free online events alongside the opportunity to “race” three distances – the Run Like a Legend Mile, 5K and 10K.

The Virtual Durham City Run Festival is being organised by Events of the North and is supported by Durham County Council and Durham University.

To take part in one of the festival races, runners register online at https://durhamcityrunfestival.com/virtual and, with the help of a special app, record and submit their best time for a solo run over the mile, 5K or 10K distance at any time from 9am on Thursday to midnight on Sunday.

All times that are submitted will be validated and results will appear online.

The event will support the city’s St Cuthbert’s Hospice, with a proportion of each entry fee being donated to the charity. Entries are limited to the number of medals that have been ordered and the 10K event is now almost full.

As well as the opportunity to race, the event will also include a schedule of virtual versions of other elements that were being planned for the Durham City Run Festival:

Professional North-East yoga teacher Amy Williams will lead a live online session, designed to help runners get their bodies and minds ready for the running ahead, from 9am on Thursday. For more information following @yogabird.info on Instagram.

A special episode of That Running Podcast, hosted by British international endurance runners Ross Murray and Colin McCourt, will feature the voices of world athletics Steve Cram and Tim Hutchings as guests, from 5pm on Friday.

A Q&A session, entitled Celebrating the Mile, will look at the breaking of the four-minute barrier by Roger Bannister in 1954. The event at 5pm on Saturday will be hosted by former British athlete and now coach Lewis Moses. Cram, who was holder of the record for eight years will share his own views about what makes the mile so special.

All sessions will be streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/EventsOTN and the content will also be posted on the page to view later.

Registering for each distance costs £12.50, with a proportion of every entry fee donated to St Cuthbert’s Hospice. For more details visit https://durhamcityrunfestival.com/virtual.