It's the fifth Bournemouth Marathon Festival - here's a handy guide to what's happening when and where over the weekend.

How many races are there?

There are eight races in total this year - two more than previously.

They include the marathon, half marathon, Supersonic 10k, Supernova 5k, 5k junior race, 2k junior race and 1.5k junior race as well as a kids kilometre.

When will they take place?

SATURDAY RACES: The kids kilometre will start at 12noon and is open to runners aged 3-6, accompanied by an adult.

The junior 1.5k race for 6-8-year-olds will begin at 12.45pm.

The 2k race for 9-12-year-olds starts at 1.30pm.

Starting on Bournemouth Prom and finishing near the Bournemouth Marathon Festival Hub in the Lower Gardens, the route takes in Bournemouth Pier.

The Junior 5k for runners aged 11-18 will start at 2.30pm. It will start and finish at the same points.

The 10k Supersonic race will begin at 4pm starting and finishing near the BMF Hub in the Lower Gardens. The race is designed for runners aged 15+. For the full route click here

The Supernova 5k will begin at 7pm starting on Bournemouth Prom and finishing in the Lower Gardens with the runners pounding the route wearing anything that glows and flashes, plus fluorescent clothing to create a “human light show”. The race is designed for all ages. For the full route click here

SUNDAY RACES:

The half marathon will begin at 8am at Kings Park Drive in Boscombe and end at the Lower Gardens in Bournemouth. With the route taking in both Boscombe and Bournemouth piers. For the full route click here

The full marathon, which follows a similar but extended route, will begin from Kings Park Drive at 10am. For the full route click here

What do runners get?

Runners who finish the events above will get a T-shirt, medal, chip timing, keyring and race recovery pack. The Supernova 5k runners will get a headtorch to help light up the night.

How many people are taking part?

This year more than 14,500 runners are due to take part - 1,500 more than last year.

Can I still enter?

Unfortunately you can't enter any of the races now as the deadline has passed.

Where is the best place to watch?

The seafront is one of the best places to watch the races but parking is bound to be an issue so perhaps park a little further out than the central car parks and walk a little way to soak up the excitement.

Hydration stations

Hydration stations for the 10k, half marathon and full marathon will be positioned around 5kms apart where where Strathmore Spring Water will be available with energy gels supplied as well. Runners in all races will be given water when they finish.

There will also be toilets at all the stations.

Bournemouth Marathon Festival hub

The Bournemouth Marathon Festival hub and helpdesk will be located at Bournemouth Lower Gardens. Entrants can pick up race packs or find other information about the festival at the help desk there.

It will be open from 8am-8pm on Saturday and 7am-5pm on Sunday.

Within the hub will also be a charity village where runners can visit their charity should it be affiliated to the event.

Road closures

As with previous years, more than 100 roads will be closed in the area over the weekend with temporary parking restrictions also applied in various places.

Organisers have again divided the road closures into four zones - the Southbourne area, Boscombe and East Cliff, the West Cliff and Poole.

Buses will be operating their usual routes as much as possible but stops may be altered slightly in Southbourne for Yellow Buses and More Buses.

View all the road closures here

Parking

The usual town centre car parks will undoubtedly fill up quite quickly on both days, especially as all the events finish in the Lower Gardens, near the Pier. The nearest ones to the town centre are Winter Gardens, Central, West Hill and Glen Fern.

Event bus

Shuttle buses will be operating to transport half marathon and full marathon runners along with spectators. They will run between Gervis Place and Kings Park and stop at Cotlands Road and the Sovereign Centre car parks en route. Tickets costing £8.50 are available here

The half marathon buses will run continuously from 6am-12.30pm and the full from 8am-5pm.

Weather

Weather forecasts for Bournemouth are currently mixed.

Accuweather says Saturday will cloud and some showers and on Sunday there will be partial sunshine with a shower in places.

The BBC says it will be dry in the afternoon and evening on Saturday. It says Sunday will see sun in the morning and cloud in the afternoon.

The Met Office says there will be showers on Saturday morning and then cloud in the afternoon and around 15C. On Sunday there will be sunny intervals in the morning with cloud in the afternoon.

AND FINALLY

Don't forget to give all the runners a really big cheer as they go past you - weeks, months and even years of training has gone into this.

We'll have photo galleries of all the races and action online as soon as possible after the events.

There will also be video from each day. Follow us on twitter @bournemouthecho or log onto our Bournemouth Daily Echo Facebook page