2007 UK sporting events Published Jan. 26, 2007 By Natalie Benge 48th Fighter Wing Community Relations Advisor ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- In the UK there are many different sporting events and activities to participate in. For those of you that prefer a slightly less active involvement during 2007 there are also many spectator events planned. Cheltenham Festival March 13-16 There are more than £3 million in prize money up for grabs over four days of European Jump Horse Racing. Around 480 horses are involved and more than 230,000 spectators expected to bet in excess of £25 million. Spectators can expect a party atmosphere during the build up to the Cheltenham Gold Cup one of the most sought after prizes in Horse Racing taking place on the Friday. Prior to each days' racing you can enjoy shopping among the trade stands, viewing the daily parade or just sitting back and enjoy relaxing entertainment and music. For more information, visit www.cheltenham.co.uk/festival. London Marathon April 22 Starting in Greenwich Park and ending after 26.2 gruelling miles on the Mall the London Marathon is one of London's best known sporting events and as a charity fundraiser it cannot be rivaled. You can expect to see approximately 46,500 people run the marathon. Some ran in fancy dress last year, and someone even completed the course in a deep sea diving suit. Over £200 million have been raised by the marathon since the first race in 1981 and places are hard to come by, since nearly 100,000 runners applied for the 2006 race. If you want to run the marathon you need to register with one of the many charities that receive ballot places for the race. For more information, visit www.london-marathon.co.uk. The Football Association Cup Final May 19 Outside of the world cup the Football Association Cup is the greatest domestic football competition in the world. It was first played in 1871 and had just fifteen entries, since that time it has grown considerably and more than 600 teams took part with 484 million people attending to watch the cup final globally last season. Manchester United has made the most appearances in a cup final and has won it 11 times, although I'm hoping my team will stand a chance this season. Now in the 130th season since the competition started it has continued to grow in popularity and has a worldwide following. For more information on the FA Cup, visit www.thefa.com/TheFACup. Heineken Cup Rugby Cup Final May 20 The Heineken Cup is a an annual rugby union competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from six nations: England, France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy. The cup originally started in 1995 and is a highly prized trophy in the rugby union world. The Cup final will be held at the Twickenham Stadium, South London with an expected audience of 82,000. For ticket information, visit www.rfu.com/microsites/twickenham. Wimbledon June 25 - July 8 The Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon has developed from a garden party atmosphere of the first meeting in 1877, witnessed by a few hundred spectators, to a highly professional tournament attracting an attendance of approximately to 500,000 people. Players from more than 60 nations regularly compete in front of a crowd of millions worldwide. The village of Wimbledon is less than 10 miles from central London and so getting to see the aspiring world champions battle it out on Centre Court couldn't be easier. When visiting Wimbledon, don't miss the opportunity to eat strawberries and drink champagne on Henman Hill. For more information, visit www.wimbledon.org. British Grand Prix July 6-8 The British Grand Prix held annually since 1950 at the Silverstone Circuit is the site of a World War II airfield. The course is one of the longest in use in Formula One racing covering 308 kilometers of low and high speed straights and sharp turns. It is notoriously difficult to overtake on this circuit, it provides a high adrenaline rush as competitors battle to gain pole position for the 60, 5.1 kilometer laps of the track. Ten Britons have previously won the British Grand Prix although Michael Schumacher of Germany holds the track record of 1.18.739. For more information, visit www.britishgp.co.uk. Burghley Horse Trials Aug. 30 - Sept. 2 Originally the Burghley Horse Trials were held at Harewood, when the venue became unavailable in 1961 the Marquess of Exeter offered the estate as an alternative. Since that time the annual British Horse Society three-day event has been held in the beautiful grounds of some 10,000 acres. Past winners of the event have included Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and her husband two years later Capt. Mark Phillips. Riders and their mounts have travelled to the event from across the world and you will see many US riders taking part. Burghley is only 68 miles from Lakenheath and is a fantastic day out for the family with shopping, refreshments and arena entertainment, which includes the Shetland Pony Grand National. For more information, visit www.burghleyhorse. co.uk.