More than 1,300 runners are warming up to raise thousands of pounds for cancer res- earch in the fourth annual 10k run at Blenheim Palace in Wood- stock.

Tomorrow at 10am, Barbara Summers, a cancer survivor from Tackley, near Bicester, will fire the starting pistol. Her daughter Rebecca Shields is running.

The Duke of Marlborough will attend the start of the run to say a few words of encouragement to runners before they set off on the route around the palace grounds.

Runners raising money for Cancer Research UK are being asked to arrive at 9am, and there will be a mass aerobic warm-up at 9.45am before the race starts.

The fastest runners are expected to complete the run in 40 minutes, with the slowest making the finishing line by 11.45am.

Adam Lockton, organising the event for Cancer Research UK, said: "We are delighted at the numbers of runners signed up for our fourth year at Blenheim Palace.

"I would really like to thank the staff at Blenheim for all their support, along with many other individuals who turned out to help.

"But most of all I would like to thank the participants themselves for taking part and raising vital funds to support the work of Cancer Research UK."

Last year, more than 1,800 runners set out to raise £140,000 for the charity. It was one of 23 runs at stately homes across the country, raising a total of £2.5m.