THE Midlands will be united when runners from every corner of the region take their place on the start line.

Fun runners to elite athletes will cover the half marathon for the Bupa Great Birmingham Run as 20,000 people descend on the city centre on Sunday, October 20.

And your Worcester News has teamed up with the race organisers to see how local runners fare in a special ‘race within a race’. The results of all those from the area taking part will be published alongside some special stories tracing every step in people’s journey to the start line.

A special trophy will be awarded to the leading male and female runner, with both being granted guaranteed free entry to the 2014 Bupa Great Birmingham Run.

Some of the elite athletes aiming to win include Chris Thompson, Gemma Steel and David Weir, but thousands of others will be determined to reach the finish line to complete their own personal story.

Many will want to set a personal best, raise money for a good cause or to remember a loved one. The run will be televised live on Channel 5 and the day of running also features junior and mini events, where youngsters get their first chance to experience the thrill of taking part in a running event and getting a medal once they have crossed the finish line.

Entries for the half marathon are now closed, but children can still enter the junior and mini events at greatrun.org/birmingham. One Worcester woman will be running the Bupa Great Birmingham Run for Diabetes UK because her husband and her son have Type 1 diabetes.

Claire Wort’s five-year-old son, Harry, was diagnosed two years ago and her husband Charlie, aged 38, has had the condition for 23 years. Mrs Wort, 39, took up running last year after Harry started at Broadheath Primary School and she wanted to set the second city race as her target. She said: “Being married to Charlie for 10 years meant that I knew something about Type 1 diabetes when Harry was diagnosed, but I can’t imagine how we would have coped without that knowledge. It meant I was able to recognise his main symptoms – being thirsty, feeling tired and going to the toilet a lot.

Luckily Harry was diagnosed quickly and didn’t experience the life-threatening condition, diabetic ketoacidocis, that I know some children have before diagnosis. “Knowing about the condition has also helped me care for Harry, but it is still a very difficult thing to come to terms with.

“This is why I want to raise funds for Diabetes UK, who support families across the country affected by diabetes and help them on their journey managing the condition.”

Diabetes UK is the official charity partner of the Bupa Great Run Series in 2013 and it works to support the 300,000 people diagnosed with diabetes in the West Midlands. To donate, go to justgiving.com/Claire-Wort.