THE cheesy Rocky theme tune has been voted the best song to run to according to a poll of marathon runners.

Eye Of The Tiger by the American rock group Survivor was a huge hit when it was released in 1982 staying at number one in the billboard charts for six weeks.

The song - written on Sylvester Stallone's request for Rocky lll - beat other classics like Bat out of Hell and We Will Rock You to the finish line.

But how important are some good tunes to listen to when you're hitting the streets for a run?

"What music you listen to makes a huge difference,'' said Michelle Tompkins, 37, a member of the Adver's Shape Up Swindon team, who is training for the Swindon Half Marathon.

"When you listen to a good song it really lifts you up. You forget your legs ache and you can't breathe.'' Her favourite is Brianstorm by the Arctic Monkeys: "It starts quite softly, then the beat kicks in and it's perfect for my running rhythm. It gets quite frantic which gives you a boost.'' She's also a fan of the runner-up song, the 1979 Queen classic Don't Stop Me Now. "It makes you smile and run as fast as you can,'' she said.

In the national survey, that was followed by the very apt Keep On Running by The Spencer Davis Group which reached number one in the UK in 1965.

More than 3,000 marathon runners took part in the poll by realbuzz.com, a health and well-being website, which placed Chariots of Fire in fourth place.

Realbuzz.com founder Tim Rogers said: "Eye of the Tiger is an archetypal motivational song - presumably because of its Rocky roots.

"It's important that songs you listen to when running have a strong beat and a rhythm that you can maintain."

Completing the top five running songs was last summer's Stronger by Hip-Hop's man of the moment Kanye West.

The track which samples Daft Punk's Harder Better Faster Stronger reached number one both here and in and the States.

Gonna Fly Now by Billi Conti came sixth in the poll followed by Proud by M People's Heather Small. The Killers thumping rock anthem Mr Brightside made it at number eight, just ahead of the current smash hit Rockstar by Canadian band Nickelback.

The second Queen song to make it in to the poll was We Are The Champions which completed the top ten.

Top 10 Running Songs
1. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor (Rocky soundtrack)
2.Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
3.Keeping on Running - Spencer Davis Group
4. Chariots of Fire - Vangelis
5. Stronger - Kanye West
6. Gonna Fly Now - Billi Conti
7. Proud - Heather Small
8. Mr Brightside - The Killers
9. Rockstar - Nickelback
10. We Are the Champions - Queen