Sunday 17^th March saw Manchester taken over by a 33,000 strong hoard of runners, as Bupa's 10k Great Manchester run took over the city. Usain Bolt kick started the event, completing the 150 metre sprint in a record breaking 14.35 seconds. Other top athletes including Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie who ran the 10 km course 27 minutes 39 seconds, and Vivian Cheruiyot who won the women's race with a time of 32:01, also contributed to making the day a special one.

Participating in the 10 k run were 32 runners from the Morson Group Plc who ran to raise money for our official 2009 charities Leukaemia Research and Seashell Trust.

The race was divided into different ‘waves' according to a self-assessed finishing time, starting with the Orange Wave and ending with the Pink Wave.

Morson runners varied greatly in ability, but no amount of wind or torrential rain deterred them from completing the 10k course with the best time in the company being an impressive 45 minutes and 5 seconds. Later times include 1 hour 16 minutes - though the runner in question was dressed in a full body banana suit!

Despite the weather, nothing could dampen the runners' spirits. The atmosphere was fantastic and a big thank you goes out to the crowds that stayed out all morning to keep up morale.

Goody bags given out at the finish line provided the runners with much needed energy drinks and dry t-shirts, but the best part of the day was the sense of self-achievement and the money they raised for our official 2009 charities.

Charity Committee Chair Paul Moogan says:

"We chose Leukaemia Research and Seashell Trust as our official charities due to the personal stories of several Morson employees. We are proud to aid these charities through our fundraising and after Sunday's success, are looking forward to the next sponsored event with great anticipation."