A LOCAL Southend running group are putting on their first ever race and it looks set to be unlike anything else on the athletics calendar.

Flyers Southend – a popular running group known locally for their orange club colours and their friendliness to runners of all abilities – will be hosting the first ever Ekiden Relay Race on September 11, 2016.

The race will see teams of five compete over a marathon distance of 26.2 miles, with each team member completing a more manageable 5.24 miles.

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

In theory, with a similar mix of faster and slower runners, all teams should have a similar finish time, promising an excitingly close finish.

With totally random selections, runners are likely to be put in a team with people they have not met before.

But the organisers of the race promise that by the end, everyone will have made new friends and had a great time.

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

“Flyers Southend ran this type of race informally last year, and 15 teams finished within four 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. “Now we’re looking forward to introducing the Flyers spirit to a wider audience with the Ekiden race later this year.

“It promises to be a great event and one we’re really looking forward to.”

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.

Anyone can enter but entries are limited to just 250 with organisers stressing the need to book as soon as possible.

For more details and to enter online visit fullonsport.com