Morrisons sponsors Great Run series
Morrisons has become the new title sponsor of the Great Run running series which includes the Great North Run.
The partnership will initially run for four years and began with the Great Winter Run and International Cross Country in Edinburgh at the weekend
The sponsorship will cover eight city locations with 12 events involving more than 220,000 runners.
The supermarket is hoping to grow this number further by encouraging its customers and 120,000 staff to take part in events that range from 5k to a half marathon. The agreement also includes the Junior and Mini Great Run events.
Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips said: “Over the last 34 years, the Great North Run has become a national institution and now with Great Runs across Britain, we believe it should be supported by a truly British sponsor. We have stores in more than 500 communities so we can play a big part in getting more people running with all the benefits that brings.
“This sponsorship means that many more of our customers and colleagues will be able to take part in these great events and raise more money for charity, including our nominated charity partner, Sue Ryder.”
The Great Run series was founded in 1981 by former Olympic medallist and Great Run chairman Brendan Foster.
Foster said: “We are delighted to welcome Morrisons as the title sponsor of the Great Run series and we are excited about the association between one of Britain’s biggest retailers and Britain’s biggest mass participation running series. Our ambition is to have a million people taking part in our Great Run programme and Morrisons are ideal partners to help us to achieve this.”
