THOUSANDS pulled on their trainers and pounded the streets on the second day of Bournemouth Marathon Festival today.

First on the agenda was the popular half-marathon, while the full 26.2 mile race took place two hours later.

The first person on the course was Darren Elkins from Salisbury, who was taking on his first half-marathon in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.

He said: “I've been running for about four years, so I feel ready for the race, although the nerves are starting to kick in.

“I'm really hoping to run the course in about 1 hour 43 minutes.”

Hot on his heels was Joel Atkin, one of the youngest to tackle the gruelling 13.1 mile slog.

He celebrated his 17th birthday on the day of the race, his first half-marathon.

“I'm quite looking forward to it,” said Joel, a triathlete who came all the way from Durham.

“It's a lovely day and I'm very pleased to be here.”

Hampshire man James Pike didn't complete his training for the half-marathon.

But rather than struggling with an injury or deciding to spend more time on the sofa, the 32-year-old stepped in just two days before the race to help a friend.

“The person who was meant to be here was injured and asked me to do it for him,” he said.

“The aim for me is just to get around the course and enjoy it.”

While many succumbed to an attack of nerves ahead of the full marathon, 35-year-old Tristan Matthews was not among them.

“It's my first marathon, but I don't feel nervous at all,” he said.

“There's no point worrying about it - I've just got to get out there and make the most of it.”

Veteran Charlotte Cook was set to take on her fourth marathon.

“I had a dream that I'd already finished it, so I was really disappointed to wake up and find I still had to do it,” she said.

Chris Brogan, 62, from Poole, was the only wheelchair racer to take part in the marathon.

He used a hand-cycle to take on the course and said it was “a good race”.

Chris added: “It's tougher on the runners because of the physicality of the challenge. I've taken part in marathons before, but this was great and the support was amazing.”