RUNNERS were put through their paces on Friday as dozens of workers took to treadmills to raise awareness for the upcoming White Horse Challenge.

Co-organisers MHA Monahans set up running machines in its Trowbridge office, challenging employees to run as far as they could. They found stiff competition from the firm’s two other branches in Swindon and Taunton and between them they were challenged to complete 52-miles collectively in one day.

Not only did the 81 runners across the three branches reach that distance, they ended up running a whopping 155 miles, much to everyone’s delight.

Simon Tombs, managing partner at MHA Monahans, said: “MHA Monahans has been co-organisers of the White Horse Challenge since it began 12 years ago, and we are proud of the impact and benefit it has had to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

“As a charity which relies solely on donations, it is important that we support this local lifeline. Every year we hear more amazing stories about their life-saving work and we’re humbled to be able to walk beside many of the people they’ve helped during the White Horse Challenge.

“To have had a total of 81 staff do this to signal the start of this year’s event is testament to the great support the charity has locally, as well as the commitment MHA Monahans colleagues have to going the extra mile. Again this year we will be putting forward a number of teams and entrants for all the challenges and I would encourage all other businesses to do the same.”

The White Horse Challenge is an annual fundraising event where across a weekend, walkers are challenged to complete up to 52 miles on a route that takes in seven of Wiltshire’s famous white horses. It is jointly organised by MHA Monahans, Rygor, Westbury, and Melksham’s Rocking Horse Nursery.

In the 12 years that the challenge has been running it has raised over £147,300 for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Graham Drake of Rygor said: “This is a tremendous show of effort from the team here. We did a cycle ride on static bikes at Rygor last week. We had three bikes and as a team we did more than 600km which was great. They were flat out all day long.

“But these guys are running in this heat so hats off to them. The main thing is that this can do a lot of good for a great cause.”

The walks start and end in Devizes and takes place on July 7 and 8. There is a seven mile walk for families, a 27-mile walk on the Saturday and a 25-mile one on the Sunday. Visit http://www.whitehorsechallenge.co.uk/