thousands of runners will line up on the closed old bridge to run the inaugural Severn Bridge Half Marathon on Sunday 24th August. After more than a a year of painstaking preparation, the event has finally arrived. The officially measured 13.1-mile course starts on the closed M48 carriageway, and competitors run from Wales into England. They then take a closed road towards Thornbury, and run through picturesque villages, before returning back on the bridge along the pedestrian access-way. The bridge will be closed from 8am for a couple of hours. The race starts at 9am, and the event headquarters is just off Junction 2 of the M48, and will be signposted. A locally produced medal, technical t-shirt, snacks and drinks will await each competitor at the finish. Each runner will wear a micro-chip which they attach to their footwear, and this electronically records their finish from crossing the start line, to the finish. A full set of results will appear on the race website after the event – http://www.severnbridgehalfmarathon.com">www.severnbridgehalfmarathon.com The event's two official charities Barnardo's and St David's Foundation are on course to have thousands of pounds raised by the runners. Paul Beynon from Chepstow is running to raise money to Help Imogen walk, and some of the other charities which runners are raising money for include Penny Brohn Cancer Care, Mencap, Cerebra, Tenovus and Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Organiser Andy Creber said: "The most important thing is for runners to enjoy the whole experience. "We want competitors to feel that they have participated in a unique event, a first, racing across the closed old bridge from Wales to England, between sea and sky. "Paul and I are hugely excited about putting on this running event on such an iconic structure. We have many friends running and helping out on the day. It really is a massive team effort. "It is inspiring that so many competitors are running for charities which are close to their hearts, and we anticipate that many thousands of pounds will be raised for very worthy causes. "We are indebted to our generous sponsors Basepoint Chepstow, Mountain Kingdoms, Tesco and Up and Running."