Basildon celebrates its 50th anniversary with many events - including a marathon for the town's St Luke's Hospice.

Here, Georgina Jupp, from the nearby Club Kingswood health centre, starts an advice column on how to get in shape for the ultimate run.

Whether you run with a group of friends for fun and fitness, for a local running club a little more competitively, or even jog away happily on the treadmill at your nearby gym, the running event that amazes and inspires us all must be the London Marathon.

Yet marathons are run all over the country and worldwide.

There are the elite runners who complete the 26.2 miles at a pace most of us could sustain for only 200 metres!

There are those who just love the challenge of long-distance running and go out to produce a sub-three hour 30mins personal best, and there are a group who run for fun and personal achievement, often raising huge amounts for charity.

Basildon's 50th birthday celebrations are offering three events to cater for most abilities - the half-marathon through Basildon, Bulphan and Langdon Hills, the full marathon of two laps, and the Club Kingswood three-mile fun run, which is within the capabilities of most of us.

If you want to give it a go, think seriously about which event you want to go in for. Marathon training - half or full - demands a lot of time and self-motivation, but is well worth the effort.

We'll be publishing a variety of schedules and tips, including how to get started, building up to the recommended mileage, good eating habits, correct footwear and preventing injuries.

Why not make 1999 your fittest year yet - and set yourself a three, 13 or 26-mile challenge?

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.