No-road coastal race fills up in record time

A record 1,500 people have signed up for the race from South Shields to Sunderland

A pier to pier race, which bans people from using roads or footpaths, has sold out in record time.

More than 1,500 people signed up for the seven mile (11.2km) run on Sunday from South Shields to Sunderland, compared to the first race 24 years ago which saw 300 finishers.

The course starts on the beach before runners can choose any other path to Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn, where it then rejoins the beach and finishes at Roker Pier.

Organisers said the atmosphere was like a "wave of humanity" and "even if you have a lousy run, the views are pretty good".

Race director Harry Harrison said the course was created to be off-road due to safety concerns and the increasing cost of applying to close roads.

Mr Harrison said running was "more popular than ever", with the event selling out in less that eight days.

Organisers said the beach resembles a "ploughed field" by the time hundreds of runners come across it

The start is "literally a line in the sand" that has to be organised around the tide times so there is enough space, Mr Harrison added.

The event also awards "King and Queen of the beach" prizes to competitors who complete the mile-long beach section first.

"[It's] just to encourage people to go absolutely hell for leather down the beach, for the spectacle if nothing else," Mr Harrison said.

The rest of the route consists mainly of tarmac and cliff paths facing out to the sea.

The run, organised by the Sunderland Strollers Running Club, is a "whole club effort"

"The support and warmth from the marshals is always spoken about after the race," Mr Harrison said.

He added in the past, the perception was that to be in a running club you had to be really fast and "built like a whippet", but that is "not what a vast majority of running clubs are about".