The UK's only 10K race for men opened for registration yesterday, with organisers predicting that it would be the biggest yet.

The Men's Health Forum Scotland event, held on Fathers' Day in Glasgow, attracted 2000 runners last year and it is hoped that around 3500 people will take part this year.

Since it was launched in 2006 with the aim of encouraging healthy lifestyles and raising awareness of men's health, around 30 jogging networks have sprung up.

Andy Kerr, the former Labour Health Minister, and actor Martin Compston, known for his role in the Ken Loach film Sweet Sixteen, attended the launch of the 2008 10k at Bellahouston Park yesterday.

Mr Kerr, a jogger and long-time advocate of the health benefits of running, praised the achievement of the race.

He said: "It's not just been a benefit in health terms, it's got men thinking about their health and discussing health issues - things that in the past, we have not been too good at."

Around 1500 people took part in the inaugural 2006 Men's 10k and Stuart Danskin, from Cancerbackup, which sponsors the race, said the event had already exceeded expectations.

"A lot of people would never have thought that men would take part in an event like this. It sends a clear message that Scottish men are doing things," said Mr Danskin, a senior cancer nurse with the charity.

Mr Compston said running was a great way to get men active. "It's a fantastic idea, especially having something that's men-only," he said.

Around one-fifth of men and one-quarter of women in Scotland were considered obese in 2003, while coronary heart disease remains one of the biggest killers.

The 10k is held at Bellahouston Park on Sunday, June 15, and is open to any male aged 15 or over.

Almost half the people who took part last year were running a 10k for the first time. The race raised more than £60,000 for charity.