The starting gun for the High Bridge Half Marathon & 5K is slated to sound at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. The third annual race features the 13.2-mile half marathon followed by the 5K run at 8 a.m. Organizers expect close to 600 runners to be in Farmville for the companion races sponsored by Farmville Downtown Partnership and High Bridge Trail State Park and presented by CENTRA Southside Community Hospital.

“We had 431 runners from nine states registered for the two races last year,” said 2015 Race Director Carrie Boswell. “We’re preparing for over 600 runners this year.” Riverside Runners (www.riversiderunners.com), Lynchburg, is handling the online registration and timing for the races.

The out-and-back course begins in Farmville Downtown at the intersection of High Bridge Trail with North Main Street. Half marathon runners will run the distance from Farmville Downtown and across the High Bridge before returning to the downtown finish line. The shorter distance runners also run the out-and-back course for a distance of 1.65 miles before returning to the finish line.

Paper registrations are available at www.farmvilledowntown.com and will be accepted up until race time with on-site registration from 6:45-7:30 (Half marathon) and 6:30-8:00 (5K) the morning of the race. Onsite registration and packet pickup will be available Friday from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Race Day beginning at 6:30 a.m. Packet pickup and on-site registration will be at Virginia’s Heartland Visitor Center at 121 E. Third Street in Farmville Downtown.

Race day parking, courtesy of the Town of Farmville, will be in the lots at the South Street Conference Center. Volunteer parking attendants, greeters and ambassadors are welcome to help during the day beginning at 6 a.m. To sign up, visit www.volunteerspot.com for opportunities.

Farmville Downtown Partnership is a member of Virginia Main Street and the National Main Street Center. The non-profit (applied) organization works in partnership with the Town of Farmville to facilitate revitalization of Farmville’s historic commercial district.

High Bridge Trail State Park, opened in 2007, is a 31-mile Rails-to-Trails recreation area built around the former railroad lines that serviced the south central Virginia region. The centerpiece of the park, the High Bridge, spans the Appomattox River four miles east of Farmville. Site of one of the last battles of the Civil War, the High Bridge was opened for visitors in April 2012. The park is part of the Virginia State Park system.

For more information, call the Farmville Downtown Partnership office at (434) 392-3060, or visit our website www.downtownfarmville.com.