A MAN is in the final preparation of his training to take on a mammoth 400-mile triathlon-style challenge to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease in memory of his dad.
Gary Firth, from Leigh, will be running, cycling and kayaking for 14 days along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal starting on Saturday, August 26 and has set up a Justgiving Page to generate funds for Parkinson’s UK.
Gary, 44, has received support from the charity since his dad John died in January but believes more should be done to raise awareness of the disease including the effect it has on families.
Dad-of-two Gary said: “Although I have managed to receive support after losing my dad to Parkinson’s I still feel it is difficult for people to reach out and get help.
“It affected me enormously to see how devastating the disease can be.
“It is now 200 years since Dr James Parkinson first discovered the disease and it is only its symptoms that can be treated after all this time.
“I want to help keep raising awareness of it to help find a cure.”
Gary has been involved in the weekly Saturday Pennington Flash parkrun for more than two years but has stepped up his fitness this year by completing the Greater Manchester Marathon in April and the Bolton Hill Marathon in June.
His dad John was a prolific runner and 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.
He also run one mile a day for 11 years during his life.
Calibration engineer Gary added: “He was a great runner, certainly a lot better than I will ever be.
“I think he would be very proud of me for taking on this challenge.”
Gary’s route will take him into Leigh on August 30, September 2 and 7.
Parkinson’s UK’s Wigan and Leigh district branch lead volunteer Jean Donagain said: “I would like to send out a personal invitation to all sufferers, family and friends to pass on our information to others and come and visit us at one of our meetings.”
The branch meet on the fourth Wednesday of every month at Kingsleigh Methodist Church and Community Centre in Leigh and the second Tuesday at Standish Community Centre.
The national helpline number for Parkinson's UK is 0808 800 0303.
To make a donation for Gary’s canal challenge visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Gary-Firth3.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/northwest/15476332.Mammoth_400_mile_canal_challenge_approaching_for_dad_of_two/
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