THREE mothers are pounding the streets of Oxford to get in shape for this year’s Oxford Mail OX5 Run.

Mother-of-three Sarah Nawn, 39, Natalie Trangmar-Keates, 36, and Rachel Davies, 37, have set up a busy training schedule for the five-mile run around the grounds of Blenheim Palace, Woodstock.

Now in it seventh year, the run – on Sunday, April 19 – raises money for the Oxford Children’s Hospital.

Mrs Nawn’s husband Frank, 57, who works for an Abingdon IT firm, is also taking part, and the mothers have named their team Frankie’s Sugarbabes.

Mrs Nawn and her friends are now running three times a week to get in shape for the race.

She said: “We run for 2.6 miles on Tuesday and Thursday in preparation for a six-mile run on Sunday, when we go from North Oxford down to the war memorial in St Giles and back.

“We’ve never done much running before, so we are not finding it easy, but I would definitely encourage other mums to take part. The training will keep them fit and the children’s hospital is a great cause.”

Mrs Nawn said her children had not had to use the hospital, but her two-year-old son Cameron was treated at the accident and emergency department for a broken wrist last year when he fell off a trampoline.

Mrs Nawn added: “I wanted to do the run last year, but when it got snowed off, I wasn’t available for the second date.

“My husband is running the race as well, so we’ve called ourselves Frankie’s Sugar- babes and we are getting some T-shirts printed.”

Sarah Vaccari, a spokesman for Oxford Children’s Hospital, said: “It’s great when we hear about local people getting together with a few friends or colleagues and forming a team for the OX5 Run — the more people that do this the more we will raise for the children’s hospital.”

This year, the main sponsors for the race are Oxford-based recruitment firm Allen Associates and Motorworld.

In 2007, singer Jason Donovan started the race and he has been a regular visitor to the hospital.

Organisers have not yet decided who will start this year’s race.

Allen Associates and Motorworld are both entering teams to compete for the OX5 Cup, which is awarded to the team with the lowest aggregate time of its top five finishers.

More than 300 people have already signed up to take part in the race.

Entry for the OX5 Run is £10 per person, with each runner asked to raise at least £100 in sponsorship.

To take part call 01865 743445 or download the form at oxfordmail.co.uk/ox5run affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk