MORE than 160 entries have already been received for the 20th Jersey Hash Half-Marathon next month, with organisers expecting to attract around 400 entries come race day while ferverantly hoping for a record-breaking 500-plus.

Sixty-five of the entries received for the race on Sunday 18 May are from outside the Island and this number is also likely to increase significantly over the coming weeks.

The organisers are certainly hopeful that as this is a major anniversary run, the entrants will outnumber those who took part in the inaugural race on 14 May 1989, when 504 finished the 13.1-mile course.

Achieving a record entry is a tall order, but there are certainly signs of a resurgence of interest in endurance running, with events like the Race for Life and the Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon and Relay Race encouraging more people to rise to the challenge.

The popular two-mile children’s race will again be held. There was no junior race back in 1989, though one has taken place every year since 1992 making this the 17th. About 100 runners aged six to 16 are expected to participate.

The half-marathon starts in St John, winding though the country lanes to the spectacular finish at the northern end of St Ouen’s Bay. The junior race finishes across the same line as the half-marathon. Entries should be sent in soon, with the closing date being 10 May, after which late entry fees are payable.

Full race information and entry forms can be printed direct from the race website www.jerseyhalf.com, where there is also the option to enter on-line.

Alternatively, entry forms can be obtained from the race sponsor, Total Sport at Beaumont, and at local leisure centres and other sports shops. All runners will receive a commemorative T-shirt and medal.

The official charity this year is once again the Jersey Sports Association for the Disabled, who, as they have done for many years, will be helping out at the water stops. A number of other runners will also be raising funds for various other charities of their choice.