SIX novice runners, five months of training - and a total weight loss of over 12 stone.

All that hard work finally paid off for our M.E.N./Channel M fitness challengers as they crossed the finishing line of the BUPA Great Manchester Run yesterday.

With their personal trainer, Christina Waring, cheering them on, they each beat their own personal targets to sprint, jog, or walk past the post, raising thousands for charity.

Since we first called for volunteers on these very pages, back in December last year, our group of six have been on an emotional rollercoaster as they each battled to take part in the 10K run through the city centre.

As reported over the past few months, each of our runners had their own personal inspiration for losing weight and getting in shape. And it's certainly not been an easy ride with plenty of dietary and exercise advice to take in. Not to mention being filmed for the Channel M documentary following their progress, The Run.

Progress

However, even before sprinting off the starting line, each contender had come a long way from the start of their journey - with each of our volunteers losing at least one stone in weight and significantly upping their personal fitness levels. In many ways, completing the run was just the icing on the cake.

Super slimmer Charlie Walduck, from Failsworth, has been the inspiration to our runners throughout their gruelling training, spurring them on with tales of how he lost more than 30 stone. Beating his own personal best for the race, Charlie himself finished this year's run in one hour 10 minutes. However, he says he was even more proud of what our volunteers have achieved.

"I'm just so glad to see I've been able to inspire other people," he says. "I know when they look back on this they will just feel so good they will want to do it all again next year. I'm in training for the London Marathon now, and am a regular runner now."

"This race has been significant for me because it's the first time I have worn shorts - I was far too embarrassed until now."