Thousands of runners will converge on Hertfordshire on Sunday when Hatfield Park hosts the Vitality London 10,000 run and Vitality Mile.

The Vitality London 10,000 was originally scheduled to be held in central London on the late May Bank Holiday weekend, but was cancelled on March 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 10km run will now take place in the grounds of Hatfield House on Sunday, July 11. Entries are now closed.

Organised by London Marathon Events (LME), the mass participation run will see two 10K events in the morning – one with a socially distanced start, and a mass start with no social distancing measures.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Hatfield House and gardens from the air looking towards the North FrontHatfield House and gardens from the air looking towards the North Front (Image: Supplied by Hatfield House)

From 9am, non-socially distanced runners will set off in waves of 1,000 in a carefully planned start process.

This race will be followed by socially distanced runners from 10.45am. Participants in this run will start in pairs at two-second intervals.

The Vitality Mile at Hatfield Park in the afternoon will comprise a series of family-friendly one-mile races through the leafy park.

Nine days later, LME is organising the Standard Chartered Great City Race on closed roads in the City of London.

Hugh Brasher, event director for LME, said: “These events in Hatfield Park and on the streets of London are a hugely significant moment and a cause for great celebration.

"All the research has shown that there is negligible chance of getting COVID-19 outdoors and the whole industry has worked together to bring back parkrun and events safely.

“It seems a lifetime ago since we delivered our mass participation running events. We’ve all missed the buzz, thrill and energy that these events provide and seeing people running together, inspiring each other.

"We look forward to welcoming everyone to Hatfield Park and the streets of London – it's wonderful to be back and thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this possible.”

The Vitality London 10,000 is a highly controlled event, and all participants and spectators are encouraged to take a lateral flow test today (Saturday, July 10), the day before the event.

You can see the Hatfield estate at the cinema in Fast & Furious 9.