Six runners from England Athletics, including a former European cross-country champion, will compete in next weekend’s 40th annual 10K as part of Bermuda Marathon Weekend.

The team includes Gemma Steel, who won gold at the 2014 European Cross Country Championships.

Also representing England Athletics are Scott Overall, Matthew Sharp, Alex Teuten, Jenny Spink and Rebecca Moore.

“We have six runners coming from England, including Gemma Steel who has run a 31:26 10k and 1:08:13 half-marathon,” said Anthony Raynor, the chairman of Bermuda Marathon Weekend. “She travels to all the big races and we’re really excited to have those six coming here.

“We have runners from Trinidad, Jamaica, Austria, Sweden, Germany, Canada and the United States, where the largest group will be coming from. There is also somebody registered from the Vatican City.”

Raynor expects numbers to be similar to last year after online entries close on Monday.

Registration will close at 6pm, with late registration available at the bib number pick-up next Friday from 3 to 6pm, ahead of the start of the KPMG Front Street Mile and next Saturday from 3 to 5pm for the marathon and half-marathon.

This will be the 42nd year of the marathon, 40th 10k, 25th half-marathon and 29th Front Street Mile.

There was heavy wind and rain during last year’s 10k and officials are hoping the rainy conditions experienced yesterday will spare the weekend of racing. Of the 1,108 runners who registered, 857 made it to the starting line.

“We have Bart Yasso, the chief running officer for Running World magazine, coming back as well as Geoff Smith, the 10k record-holder, and Joan Benoit, the first women’s Olympic marathon champion.”

In last year’s Front Street Mile Adam Bitchell, of Wales, emerged victorious in one of the most thrilling finishes to the KPMG Bermuda Invitational Front Street Mile.

In the women’s race, Heather Kampf, of the United States, stormed to a fourth consecutive win. In the 10k race Jordan Chipangama, of Zambia, won for his second title in three years, with Laura Paulsen, of the United States, taking the women’s crown.

Chipangama also romped to a third half-marathon title in four years, while Ukrainian Valentyna Poltavska became the first woman to win the Bermuda Marathon.