A 74 year old pensioner from Cleveleys will be joining the thousands of other runners in this year's Bupa Great Manchester Run on Sunday 16th May 2010 to raise money for The Christie.

Michael Martin was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2004 but is now in remission after having had an operation and chemotherapy treatment.

Although the former bus driver has never participated in a long distance running event before, he is a keen cyclist and embarked on his first 60 mile Manchester to Blackpool bike ride for The Christie in 2005 just months after receiving chemotherapy.

He said; "Although I wasn't treated at The Christie for my cancer, I believe it's the outstanding research that's carried out there that led to me beating the disease - their level of expertise has an impact across the globe. I also know lots of people who've been treated there and they all have nothing but praise for the care they received.

"Being a cyclist it's certainly going to be different doing this run but I'm going to give it my best shot!"

Married to wife Christine for 47 years, Michael has a son and daughter and two grandchildren.

He added; "Having had cancer makes you realise how important it is to stay fit and healthy and knowing you're raising money for a good cause motivates you even more."

Thousands of participants have run for The Christie since the Great Manchester Run was launched in 2003, but this is the first time it has been selected as the main local charity. The famous cancer centre was chosen by Manchester City Council for the next three years. The official charity was previously the new Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and prior to that the Kirsty Appeal.

The 10 kilometre run through Manchester City Centre is one of the largest and most prestigious mass participation runs in the UK and The Christie is also the nominated charity for both the Bupa Junior and Mini Great Manchester Runs. Money raised will help The Christie fund cancer research and extra patient services that fall outside the remit of NHS funding.

All 26,000 general entries for the run were snapped up within 48 hours of opening but because of high demand the race organisers, Nova International, have decided to hold a ballot for the final 10,000 public places. It is scheduled to be drawn on Monday 1st February.

Communications director at Nova International, David Hart, said "The Bupa Great Manchester Run has captured the imagination of the region to such an extent that despite the horrendous weather conditions last week, we received entries at a record rate. To give more people a chance of taking part, we felt that creating a ballot for the last 10,000 places was the fairest way of progressing."

Head of sporting events at the Christie charity, Jenny Haskey, added; "If you already have a place or are successful in securing one in the ballot, we'd be delighted if you, like Michael, choose The Christie as your chosen charity. All the money raised will help cancer patients now and in the future. Visit www.greatrun.org for more information."

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