HOPING for a shot of natural adrenaline to get them through the five-mile course, the latest conscripts to this weekend’s OX5 Run are a 23-strong team from the Oxford Vaccine Group.

The team, based at the Churchill Hospital in Headington, Oxford, conducts research into the causes and treatment of infectious diseases in infancy and childhood, and will be lining up with an estimated 1,000 runners for the event, this Sunday, at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock.

The run is the ninth of its kind, and organisers are hoping to break all previous records.

Last April, more than 850 runners completed the course, raising £57,000 for the Oxford Children’s Hospital charity.

This year they are hoping 1,000 runners will turn out to beat that total.

Elizabeth Nuthall, 37, senior clinical trial manager at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: “Our group is 23-strong so far, but we expect to sign up even more – maybe even up to 30. We’ll be made up of two teams; a running team and a walking team, and are a mix of doctors, nurses, research staff, and play assistants – and we are all quite competitive.”

She continued: “Only a few of us have taken part before, most are new to the OX5, but we are very excited to be taking part as a team.”

Team member Rebecca Beckley added: “We are running for CHOX because we want to support them as much as we can.”

OX5 Runners complete a five-mile course around the grounds of Blenheim Palace, with all sponsorship going towards buying vital equipment for the Oxford Children’s Hospital.

Equipment purchased through last year’s OX5 sponsorship cash included a cooling system used to help prevent children at risk of cerebral palsy from developing the disease.

Sarah Vaccari, from the Children’s Hospital fundraising team, who is also taking part in the run, said: “We are thrilled that the Oxford Vaccine Group, who do incredibly important work, have come out in such great numbers to support the event. With 23 of them running they will be the largest team taking part.”

Recruitment company Allen Associates, of Oxford, will sponsor the OX5 Run again this year and will field a team led by the company’s owner, Rob Allen.

The Oxford Mail will be at the event to record all the highlights.

On-line registration for the run ends at midnight this Thursday, so enter now at: orhcharitablefunds.nhs.uk. For more information call 01865 743444.

l See Friday’s Oxford Mail for a race preview and route map.