THE Echo has teamed up with Runner’s Edge to launch a fantastic monthly competition that will see one athlete a month win a pair of Skechers running trainers worth up to £80.

Starting this month and running until September, we will be selecting a “performance of the month” from Echo reading athletes.

We will be asking competitors to email in why their performance merits winning the competition and we will pick a winner.

The competition is open to all athletes, regardless of ability.

So winners could vary from someone who has topped the national rankings to someone who has run/thrown/jumped a huge personal best or simply an athlete that has excelled over a month.

You could be a long jumper or a long distance runner, every one will stand a chance of winning.

We will reveal further details of how to enter the competition in these pages later this month.

* Skechers running trainers were recently worn by American Meb Keflezighi when he won the Boston Marathon earlier this month.

The Runner’s Edge shop is run by running experts Mike Whittaker and son Paul – one of the leading distance runners in the region.

The shop moved just after Christmas to new premises at 859 London Road, Southend.

For more details visit their website, www.runners-edge.co.uk