Get Ready, Get Set, for Christchurch's Marathon

The event is happening on the 21^st of April.  with the participants starting at different times throughout the day with the full marathon (42.2k), the half marathon, the 10km route, and the Kids MaraFun run.

It is based in Hagley Park, and with the new updated course will take contestants past the Canterbury Museum, Christ College, and Oxford Terrace with the race starting within Hagley Park.

Some participants are excited, including members from the local running group Social Striders, who hold weekly social events within the community. The founders of the group spoke to Metro News to explain why it was established and what they do.

Another member of Social Striders who has been a part of the group for only a handful of weeks had positive words saying how 'friendly and welcoming' everybody is. She found out about the group after she started running at the beginning of the year and discovered them through Instagram reels.

"I couldn't run but I wanted to so I joined."

People with the Social Striders are competing in the Christchurch Marathon with around 20 of them planning on competing. They had 40 of the group complete the city to surf run and are hoping to encourage more.

The marathon is looking to be even bigger than last year for contestants, with a reported 25% increase pushing over 5000 people attending according to the Christchurch Marathon website.

If you are interested in running, jogging, or walking the marathon you can sign up on their website here.