With the 15th Wangaratta Chronicle Marathon and Fun Run coming up on Sunday, 22 March, the training is getting serious, including for ambassadors Sarah Cavill and Josh Ledger.

Sarah will be back this year to defend her 5km win at last year's event.

When her coach asked her if she wanted to do the 5km or 10km, she had a simple answer: "I don’t do long."

She has been competing in some athletics meets, so it’ll be interesting to see if her speed training and racing will get her under the 20min barrier.

Josh is building his training nicely after an injury setback.

He loves the half marathon distance, but said he will do the 10km event if he's not ready to push the half.

Josh lives and trains in Wangaratta and doesn’t want to miss the event.

The Wangaratta Chronicle Marathon and Fun Run is blessed with many great local sponsors.

Garry Nash & Co Real Estate have been sponsoring running events for decades - yes, longer than the Wangaratta Marathon itself.

With $3500 prizemoney up for grabs on the Marathon podium, they are looking forward to seeing who comes to run fast for the cash.

R J Sanderson & Associates have been a dedicated sponsor for 15 years and are always willing to help make the event a success.

They are sponsoring the half marathon, and with $2400 prizemoney up for grabs, the quality of runners will be strong.

BFT Wangaratta joined the event last year and are back to make sure everyone runs their best for the 10km event, with $1700 prizemoney to share between the placegetters.

BFT have developed a strong exercise community - get in touch with the BFT team for all your strength training needs.

Johnsons MME also joined the event last year and certainly give the 5km competitors plenty to chase, with $1200 prizemoney to share.

This year the Wangaratta Chronicle Marathon and Fun Run welcomes The Athlete’s Foot, Wangaratta’s only dedicated running footwear store.

The 2km Primary School Challenge podium will all get gift vouchers to keep their running going strong.

The team element is also terrific, as the Community Challenge will be sponsored by Wangaratta Wholefoods.

Imagine getting a $500-$1000 gift voucher for your team to enjoy all the great health food from the best Wholefoods shop around.

The early bird pricing ends Wednesday, 4 February so get on the event website and sign up to save some dollars at northeastsports.com.au/wangarattamarathon

Ensure you don’t miss this, as most events will sell out!