The Bournemouth Marathon Festival returns this weekend, with thousands of runners expected to be taking part.

More than 7,000 people signed up for the event last year, with a similar amount expected for 2022.

The half marathon event will be the main draw for the festival but there will also be a number of other races throughout the weekend.

Here's all the information you'll need to know for the event for Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9.

Bournemouth Marathon Festival 2022 race schedule

Outside of the half marathon, there are several other races scheduled over the weekend for runners of all ages and abilities.

Kid's Kilometre

The first race will be the Kids' Kilometre starting at 2pm on Saturday (October 8), which will be for children aged between three and six years old.

Children taking part in this event must be accompanied by an adult, with adults not needing to have an entry form.

The Kids' Kilometre will start on the Bournemouth Prom, will do a bit of a coastal route and then double back to finish near the Run Bournemouth Hub in the Lower Gardens.

Junior 1.5k

Shortly after the Kids' Kilometre, the Junior 1.5k will take place at 2.30pm on Saturday, with the race being for children between six and eight years old.

Similar to the Kids' Kilometre it will start on the Bournemouth Prom, will do a bit of a coastal route and then double back to finish near the Run Bournemouth Hub in the Lower Gardens.

Junior 2k

Half an hour after the Junior 1.5k the Junior 2k will commence at 3pm, with the race being for children aged between nine and 12 years old.

Like the two races before, it will start on the Bournemouth Prom, go a bit along the coastal route and then come back to the Lower Gardens hub.

Junior 5k

At 3.30pm the Junior 5k will occur, which will be for children aged between 11 and 18 years old.

Like the other Saturday races, it will start on the Bournemouth Prom, with the route almost reaching Boscombe pier before it doubles back to finish near the Lower Gardens.

Supernova 5k

The final race of Saturday will be the Supernova 5k, which will begin at 7pm

This race follows the exact same route as the Junior 5k but takes place at dusk with the route decorated to place an emphasis on light.

Supersonic 10k

Moving onto Sunday, the Supersonic 10k is the first event of the morning, which is described as a "fantastic flat and fast course" by Run Bournemouth which is ideal for setting quick times.

This race would be great for those looking to step up from doing 5ks but who are not quite ready for a half marathon yet.

The route starts at Hengistbury Head before coming down from the cliffs to the coastal path which goes all the way along to Bournemouth Pier before finishing.

Half Marathon

Finally, the big event of the festival is scheduled to begin at 10am, with 13.11 miles of running set for the competitors.

The twisty route will provide a challenge, especially with some of the inclines on the way, but it'll be worth it to see the finish line shortly after running on Bournemouth Pier.

What is the Bournemouth Half Marathon route?

The Half Marathon begins over at Hengistbury Head, with the first three miles of running going over the cliffs towards Boscombe.

At mile three you will then double back on the route you just took, with mile five leading you onto the far end of Boscombe promenade.

From there it is a long straight path to Boscombe pier where you will go up on the over cliff.

From there it is a long path to the Pier approach where you will pass the Russell Coates Museum and get a glimpse of the finish line.

However, that is still a way off yet as you will then follow the coastal path back to Boscombe Pier, run around there, and then come back to Bournemouth Pier.

Once you are off Bournemouth Pier it is a short distance to the finish line.

Bournemouth Marathon Festival 2022 bus routes

For the Half Marathon and Supersonic 10k, there will be Run Bournemouth Event Buses running from between Westover Road, in front of Bournemouth Pavilion (near the finish area) and Hengistbury Head (at the start area).

Bournemouth Echo: The bus map route (Credit: Run Bournemouth)The bus map route (Credit: Run Bournemouth) (Image: Run Bournemouth)

This is a recommended route for both runners and spectators, with tickets being available to purchase from the Run Bournemouth website here.

Bus tickets can be bought on the day, but will be more expensive and will need to purchase with a card, not cash.

Bournemouth Marathon Festival 2022 Car Parking

There will be very limited parking available at the Solent Beach Car Park which will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Meanwhile, there will be no parking available at Hengistbury Head Car Park.