THIS year's B&Q Eastleigh 10Km Road Race will be offering an increasingly popular service as part of the race build-up.

There will a team of three qualified sports masseurs on hand to provide both pre and post-race massages within the main sports hall at the Fleming Park Leisure Centre.

"Most major sporting events in Britain now offer this style of treatment as a means of improving muscle flexibilty and strength, which also acts as an important element of injury prevention," said race director Malcolm Price.

All the proceeds from the ten-minute sessions will be donated by the massage team to the Wessex Cancer Trust and they will be available for treatment from 1pm to 4.30pm. With the main race starting at 2.30pm on Sunday, March 18, there will be plenty of time for competitors to be fully stretched and properly warmed up for the big start.

Entries for the 10K have been flowing in from all over the south since Christmas and there are already more than 300 names on the entry list. With seven weeks remaining, the organisers are confident that, once again, the race limit of 1200 will be reached by March 7 when entries officially close.

Formal entry for the both the 10K and Fun Run (2k for the 12-and-under youngsters) can be made through Leisure Services, Eastleigh Borough Council, Leigh Road, Eastleigh. Telephone: 02380 688205.