A MAN has canoed, cycled and ran more than 300 miles along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to raise awareness of Parkinson’s disease in memory of his dad.

Gary Firth, from Leigh, was aiming to complete 400 miles in 14 days but he was forced to abandon the challenge 77 miles and three days short after being taken to hospital in Burnley on Wednesday suffering from severe shin splints.

The 44-year-old has so far raised around £1,300 for the Parkinson’s UK charity, which has provided him with invaluable support since his dad John died from health complications caused by Parkinson's at the age of 67 in January, and he is hoping to hit the £2,000 mark.

Gary said: “Without the support of my friends and family I would not have got as far as I did.

“I am bitterly disappointed I did not finish the challenge but I still had an amazing adventure.

“I met some great people along the way who were rooting for me when they could see I was struggling.

“When I was canoeing the locks were my nemesis, but there were good Samaritans who helped me to carry my equipment up and around."

He says he will never forget his 11 days on the canal.

“The wildlife was incredible," Gary said.

"A kingfisher ate a fish literally a few feet away from my canoe and I saw lots of different types of fish jumping out of the water.

“It was quite funny when I first set off on the water. I was paddling in Leigh and after only five minutes I was canoeing near a swan and its cygnets.

"It decided to attack my paddle to warn me off while I did my best to avoid being bit.”

Gary is now recovering at home with the hope of taking part in the Manchester Half Marathon for the second successive year next month.

He has been doing the weekly Pennington Flash parkrun on Saturdays for the past two years and ran the Greater Manchester Marathon in April and the Bolton Hill Marathon in June.

His dad was a prolific runner who competed in many charity races, including a challenge called Paris or Bust in the 1980s when he was part of a team that cycled from Atherton to Paris and back.

At one point in his life he ran a mile a day for 11 years.

To make a donation for Gary’s canal challenge visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Gary-Firth3.