THE streets of central Bendigo will be handed over to runners this Sunday for the annual Bendigo Fun Run.

Event organiser Tara Everist said about 1700 people had registered as of Wednesday morning, but that number was expected to grow to 2000 by Sunday, with online registrations open until 6pm Thursday.

People can also register on the day or at Bendigo Bank branches.

Money raised through the charity event, now in its 10th year, will go towards the purchase of equipment for the new Bendigo hospital, which is due to open in January.

Ms Everist thanked the community for their support of the event, the biggest fundraiser held by the Bendigo Health Foundation.

“It’s just really touching and really wonderful to see,” she said.

Course director Hunter Gill said this community spirit was the special thing about the Bendigo Fun Run.

Mr Gill said all the people manning the course were volunteers, who undertook training and got out of bed in the early hours of Sunday morning to make the event a success.

He said these marshalls were there to not only direct participants, but encourage and support them.

According to Ms Everist the five-kilometre run is the most popular event of the day, followed by the five-kilometre walk.

But she said the 21.1-kilometre half marathon still attracted about 180 competitors.

This year a new event with special meaning has been added to the schedule.

The Tracy Wilson Team Relay will see teams of four share in the running of the half marathon. 

The relay was introduced in memory of Tracy Wilson, a widely admired member of the local athletic community who passed away from cancer in April.

Runners come from across the area and some of the more serious participants make the trip from other parts of the state for the longer distance events.

Mr Gill said this year’s run route would begin in Pall Mall and take runners to Lake Weeroona, along Barnard Street and down View Street.

The first runners, those in the half marathon and relay, will take off from the starting line at 7am, followed by the 15-kilometre runners, the 10-kilometre runners, and the five-kilometre runners and walkers.

Mr Gill thanked the City of Greater Bendigo for its support and assistance with the event.

With this year’s event falling on the eve of Halloween, runners have been encouraged to dress up in ghoulish and ghastly costumes.

To register online, visit the website.