THIS year’s Southampton Race for Life looks set to be the biggest yet.

Organisers Cancer Research UK say that there could be a record-breaking 12,000 women and girls taking part in the event on The Common in July.

More than 7,000 have already signed up. If entries continue to flood in at this rate, the Southampton event could reach its capacity of 12,000.

Daily Echo: Click below to see a video of today's headlines in sixty seconds

Event manager Hannah White is delighted by the response.

She said: “Race for Life is doing extremely well this year. Nationally we are forecast to exceed our target of 680,000 women and if recruitment continues as it has been, this could be our biggest year yet.”

Now in its 13th year, Race for Life Southampton regularly raises more than £500,000 for life-saving research into cancer and its treatments, and has raised more than £3m in total.

Last year, 9,700 women walked, jogged or ran the 5k course around The Common, raising an incredible £564,500. If the women of Southampton can up that figure to 12,000 for 2009, the city looks set to smash all its previous fundraising records.