Bryan Robson To Take Part At Manchester
To enter the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run 10k, visit greatrun.org/Manchester
MANCHESTER United and England legend Bryan Robson will take on this year’s Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run as the 10k event celebrates its 15th birthday.
The football star, who captained the Red Devils and the Three Lions in an illustrious career that also saw him manage Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United, has been a long-time supporter of the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run and took part in the very first staging of the event in 2003.
Bryan will be running for The Kirsty Club on Sunday, 28 May, the charity set up by the late Kirsty Howard which has raised more than £7.5million for Francis House Children’s Hospice, Didsbury, where she received respite care.
Kirsty, who was born with her heart back to front, inspired Kirsty’s Appeal which 10 years ago reached its target of raising £5m for the hospice. She died in 2015, aged 20, and last year’s Great Manchester Run was the first event staged since her death.
Bryan was set to be honorary starter at last year’s event, but Manchester United’s appearance in the FA Cup final held a day earlier put paid to his original plans.
However, with no such distractions this year, Bryan is looking forward to pulling on his running shoes and representing The Kirsty Club once again, and will be joined by daughter Claire, who works for Manchester United.
He said: “In 2003 I took part in the very first Great Manchester Run, I was taking part to help the funds for The Kirsty Appeal to secure Francis House Childrens a Hospice in Didsbury Manchester, this was the first event of its type in our fantastic city.
“Now 15 years later I am pleased to say that I am still supporting Francis House and the legacy that brave Kirsty Howard started. In that time, the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run has gone from strength to strength.
“It’s great to see the event grow and I’m excited to be taking part again.”
The Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run takes place on Sunday 28 May, starting on Portland Street and heading west to Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium, before returning to the city centre and finishing alongside the iconic Beetham Tower.
The event was launched as a legacy event following the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and has grown to be the biggest 10k in Europe, with more than 300,000 people taking part since its launch.
This year will see the addition of a sold-out half marathon taking place at the same time, where 8,500 runners will follow a 13.1mile route which encompasses both Manchester City and United’s football grounds and finishing in the same place as the 10k.
To enter the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run 10k, visit greatrun.org/Manchester
- To join Bryan as part of The Kirsty Club team, register for the event and let The Kirsty Club know that you are joining them by emailing info@thekirstyclub.com
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