ISLANDERS limbering up for the marathon tomorrow might be keeping a nervous eye on the weather forecast.

Thousands of people are taking part in the Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon and predictions are that they may encounter gale force winds and heavy rain in the morning.

However, race director Helen Baker (pictured) was adamant that everything would be okay on the day and said that she was hoping for a change in weather. ‘Jersey weather is very changeable,’ she said. ‘It’s the one thing that I can’t organise. Cold weather is probably better than hot – last Sunday would have been too hot for a lot of people.’

There are over 250 relay teams and 373 registered marathon runners which is already more than last year. 258 people have also signed up for the JEP 3km Fun Run. The marathon was first held in 2006 and the organisers have added several new features for 2008, including a pasta party tonight at the Royal Hotel, David Place, and the option to merge groups of runners to form relay teams.