TWO top quality fields will line up in York when one of Britain's favourite road races celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend.

Knavesmire Harriers host their annual Brass Monkey half marathon with a top quality northern field of 1,000 runners looking to smash the course records.

The men's record is held by Ian Fisher - in 66.09 minutes - but he is set to face some stern challenges in his quest to win the title.

Essex runner Steve Hepples, who won at the Loftus in December, raced a 65 minute half marathon in Lisbon last year and is one of Britain's best at the distance.

Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers runner Gary Dunn took the honours 12 months ago and he is likely to renew his battle with Pickering's Darran Bilton, who was second.

Bilton, fresh from the Yorkshire Cross Country Championships, has been hampered by an Achilles injury picked up when representing Great Britain in Nairobi last year.

But he said he still has high hopes of doing well. "It is going to be tough and, with it being the 25th anniversary, a lot of people would like to win it including myself," Bilton said.

"It is going to be hard at the sharp end, but I am quietly optimistic."

Previous winner Terry Lonergan is also in the field.

In the ladies' race, Scottish Commonwealth Games athlete Hayley Haining returns again to run on one of her best courses. The 35-year-old, a former cross country and track champion who runs for Kilbarchin AC, recorded a time of 72.06 last time around - beating her own course record.

Haining is still one of the quickest runners in the country for the distance and will be hoping to smash her personal best of 71 minutes and record a third win in the event.

In 2006, Haining was ninth in the marathon in Melbourne in the Commonwealth Games and has also finished in the top 30 at the World Championships.

In last year's Brass Monkey run, she beat second placed Lisa Mawer, of Bingley, by more than seven minutes. This time, her main rival looks to be Melanie Haywood, of Beverley, who can race well on the quick course.

The race will be started by keen runner and TV personality Harry Gration, with a minute's applause being held beforehand for Jane Tomlinson, who was a regular racer on the course.