MORE than a thousand women flocked to Moor Park to Race for Life - and among them were the Citizen's very own roving reporters Gill Atherton and Nicola Jolly.

Competitive and fun runners mingled in the sunshine to take on two laps of the park, covering more than three miles and raising £35,000 for the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

Walton-le-Dale runner Michelle Mann, aged 20, sped home in first place after just over 17 minutes, while the last ones strolled to the finishing line after more than an hour.

Some participants donned fancy dress while others chose to compete the three-legged way, but one of the most impressive achievers to complete the course was a woman who was eight months pregnant!

Marcia Steele from Mendip Road, Clayton-le-Woods, who helped launch the event after losing her mother and daughter to cancer, ran home in just over half an hour despite having a heart problem.

Courageous Marcia was overwhelmed by the turn-out and summed up the atmosphere. She said: "The support has been tremendous with people offering their last pound to raise money to help combat cancer. It's been a fantastic day."

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