THE 26th staging of the National Hugo Chambers Memorial 5K, Two-Mile and One-Mile runs get going on November 4 at 1:00 pm, beginning and ending at Jamaica College, 189 Old Hope Road.

Some 500 participants are expected for the road race, named after outstanding student and head master of the 223-year-old, all-boy institution.

Chambers was also a well-known sportsman and sports administrator extraordinaire who made a profound contribution to the development of sports in Jamaica.

The organisers have decided to dispense with the 10K, won last year by Shawn Pitter and Arieta Martin, and convert it to a 5K with the hope of getting more participants.

The One-Mile run for Special Olympians and children 12 and Under, will begin at 1:30 pm, while the Two-Mile run, begun in 2009, is geared to 13 to 19-year-olds and will get underway at 2:30 pm.

The two-miler was upon request by coaches who saw the event as a necessary addition to the road race calendar. Some 250 runners are expected for this distance.

Once again, a wheelchair 5K for male and female athletes will take place. The race is presented by the Jamaica College Sports Development Committee.

Continental, through its brand National, is the title sponsor for this year's event.