The first annual Bainbridge 13.1-mile Half Marathon, sponsored by Bainbridge Memorial Hospital and Manor, will be this Saturday.

It will begin at 7 a.m. in front of Memorial Manor. Pre entry fee was $60. It will be $70 on Saturday.

Event director Andy Payne said there will also be a kids’ run, which will get under way at 10 a.m.

“The kids will run the last mile and a half, but they have already accumulated the  additional miles while running on their own,” Payne said. The kids run will feature around 65 kids.

Payne said there has already been considerable interest in the event.

“We already have more than 200 half-marathon runners registered from the tri-state area and from as far away as St.Petersburg, Florida,” he said.

Runners will begin by circling the hospital, and they will run throughout the city.

“The runners, walkers and volunteers greatly appreciate the enthusiasm and support of the public,” Payne said. “Two very good places for spectators to see the runners come by and cheer them on will be at the Earle May Boat Basin and Grace Church. The run will also go through downtown Bainbridge.”

Money raised from the half-marathon will help the hospital purchase a digital mammography unit for the Kirbo Women’s Center, and to remodel the center’s suite.