A total 1,277 runners have signed up for the Chelmsford Parks Marathon 2014 as of Friday.
The city's first ever marathon, which will take up to 2,000 competitors, will see runners race from Bellmead Park to Hylands House and back twice over on Sunday, October 19.
Organisers have already confirmed a 2015 marathon will take place, spelling the start of an annual spectacle.
The J's Hospice communications manager Nikki Perry said: "We are delighted at the ongoing enthusiasm that the Marathon seems to be generating in the running community, with runners signed up from across the country – and even one from Europe – the number of registrations shows no signs of slowing down."
