THE race for a place in this year's Race for Life is now on.

Last year, Cancer Research UK's Worcester event was so popular that the 5,000 places were filled in record time.

Five weeks before the event, they had all been snapped up, leaving many disappointed.

From today, entry to the event is officially open and participants can sign up via the internet or telephone.

Last year, participants in the city's race smashed their fund-raising target by £55,000, raising £320,000 for the charity.

Crowds of spectators lined the streets, cheering the runners, joggers and walkers across the finishing line.

With an additional 500 places, organisers hope that this year's event, on Sunday, June 11 will be a huge success.

National events executive Rebecca Hillyard said: "Due to the huge demand for places we are hoping that 2006 will be the biggest year yet.

"We have been working hard to ensure that the Worcester race remains one of the biggest and best Race for Life events in the UK."

The event will also come to Malvern for the first time, on Wednesday, May 31.

There will be 3,000 places up for grabs for the Three Counties Showground race.

Every penny raised will go towards the pioneering work carried out by Cancer Research UK into preventing, treating and curing cancer faster.

The 5km event is open to women and girls of all ages and fitness levels.

Since it began in 1994, the Cancer Research UK event, supported by Tesco has raised more than £100m.

This year, organisers hope that 750,000 women will take part in the 230 events across the country, to raise £46m. To enter the race, people should visit www.raceforlife.org or call 08705 134314.