Team from The Press to take part in Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon

From seasoned marathon runners to beginners, the team from this newspaper is made up of them all.

Editor Steve Hughes, a veteran of last year's city marathon, will be joined by business editor and novice runner Laura Knowlson, reporter Hannah Bryan and cleaner Rachel McMahon on the 26.2mile course on October 12.

Hannah, 22, is no stranger to long distance running and has completed four half marathons.

However, the Knavesmire Harriers athlete is hoping to go the full distance this year after she was forced to pull out of the 2013 Robin Hood marathon through injury 18 miles in.

She said: "I was absolutely devastated when I got injured whilst training for the Robin Hood Marathon last year and should’ve listened to the physio when he suggested that I should power walk the race rather than run it.

"As any runner will know though, the last thing you want to hear is that you should rest, or walk a race, but stubbornness prevailed and I foolishly tried to run it anyway, pulling out at mile 18 when I was in too much pain.

"I’ve been counting down the days until the marathon for quite some time now and I get butterflies thinking about it. I absolutely love running and am a bit of an adrenaline junkie and I think running the marathon on home turf will spur me on even more."

Steve Hughes, editor of The Press, is also taking part in a personal capacity.

He added: "I did it last year because I was looking for a challenge and it was in York. I never would have signed up for a full marathon otherwise as 26 miles just seemed ridiculously too far.

“But strangely I really enjoyed most of the training and the day itself was just brilliant. The atmosphere was great and I’m sure it will be even better this year. The challenge now is to improve my time.”

Rachel, 40, ran last year too and says she is better prepared for what is in sore.

She added: "I started running three years ago to lose weight and did 10k races.

"It was tempting to give up last year but willpower and detemination kept me going.

"I know what's coming now and I've enjoyed my training this year."

Business editor Laura Knowlson, 27, is running her first race of any distance along with her dad and sister, Paul, 53, and Fiona Crothers, 24, for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Laura said: “Everyone has been affected by cancer one way or another, including our family, so we decided to do the marathon in memory of those we have lost and also in honour of those who have battled it, and chose to support Yorkshire Cancer Research because of the great work it funds locally into finding new treatments and cures for the disease."

To sponsor Laura and her family visit www.justgiving.com/crothersagainstcancer

Your guide to highlights of runners’ route

MILE 1: Runners leave the University of York, one of the country’s foremost education institutions, which has more than 15,000 students and was the Times Higher Education University of the Year in 2010, and head for the city centre.

MILE 5: The route now heads away from the city centre and over the A64 to the village of Stockton-on- the-Forest, which lays claim to a local landmark in its distinctive Victorian gothic-style Holy Trinity Church.

MILE 10: Attractive country lanes take the runners on to the ancient village of Upper Helmsley, mentioned as Hamelsec in the Domesday Book. The church in the village is dedicated to St Peter and was entirely rebuilt in 1888.

MILE 14: The halfway point has been passed when runners reach Stamford Bridge, the site of a famous battle in September 1066 when King Harold beat the Viking King Harald Hardrada.

MILE 18: On towards the Murton Turning Point and a welcome boost provided by cheering spectators at the Plusnet Motivation Station.

MILE 23: It’s Murton now and the field will soon cross the A64 again and head back towards the finish at the University of York. Murton Park is home to the Yorkshire Farming Museum and the last remaining half-mile section of the Derwent Valley Light Railway.

MILE 26:The grand finish back at the campus of the University of York.

Road closures are expected in preparation for event

TO ALLOW organisers to begin setting up the event village, University Road, in York, will be closed between Innovation Way and Green Dykes Lane on Saturday, October 11 from noon.

The road will fully reopen at 9pm on Sunday, October 12. Elsewhere, closures on the Sunday begin from 6am but will reopen on a rolling basis as soon as it is safe to do so. City centre roads that will be affected by the closures include: Walmgate, Hope Street, Leadmill Lane, Piccadilly, Parliament Street, Blake Street, Duncombe Place, Deangate, Goodramgate and Monkgate. Most will close from around 9.15am and should be reopened by around 10.30am.

Also affected will be Heworth Green, Stockton Lane, The Village, Common Lane, Northgate Lane, Holtby Lane, Murton Way, Bad Bargain Lane and Osbaldwick Lane.