ORGANISERS of the Brighton Marathon have temporarily reopened general entries to next year’s race in a bid to make it one of the biggest events in Europe.

Would-be runners have got until next Friday to register their interest for the race, which takes place on April 12.

The marathon’s website was swamped when the link opened yesterday, with 10 times the number of people expected signing up.

Applicants have been given ten days to register and receive a confirmation email.

After the closing date, successful applicants will then be sent an email giving them 48 hours’ notice of when they need to confirm their entry.

Places are on a first-come, first-served basis so the sooner people register, the better the chance they have of getting in.

More than 10,500 general runners registered earlier this year when entries were first opened and closed.

However, Grounded Events, which organises the race, said people have continued to express an interest and have contacted them asking about places.

It is the first time the marathon, which was first run in 2010, has introduced this ballot system.

A spokesman said: “We want to make the Brighton Marathon one of Europe's ten biggest marathons.

“Previously we’ve restricted entries in order to manage capacity, whereas now we are confident of having more runners.

“With its record-breaking course, upbeat entertainment and vociferous crowds, Brighton is firmly established in the calendar as the UK’s premier go-to marathon.”

Almost 9,000 people finished this year’s Brighton Marathon, compared with the 10,655 who finished in Rome last year – the current tenth-largest marathon in Europe.

The three largest marathons in Europe are Paris, Berlin and London. The other top-ten events are Stockholm, Barcelona, Dublin, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

The Brighton Marathon raises millions of pounds for local and national charities every year.

It also attracts tens of thousands of visitors during the marathon weekend, giving the city’s tourism trade a major boost.

Register your interest at www.brightonmarathon.co.uk.