A FIREFIGHTER from Sale set himself three challenges for 2016.

The first - to complete a dry January - has been accomplished.

He’s working on the second - to run 1,000 miles in a year - and the third is to successfully complete three runs in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.

John Burgess, 49, the watch manager from Stretford Fire Station, trains three times a week.

He said: “Yesterday I ran 22 miles along the canal which helps me get fit for the runs and clocks up towards my 1,000 mile aim.”

He has already signed up for the Manchester Marathon on April 10, the Manchester 10k on May 22 and the Manchester Half Marathon on October 16.

Two years ago he completed the Manchester Marathon in four hours 12 minutes.

John, of Brooklands Road, said: “I hurt my leg and had to walk part of the way. I raised £2,600 which I divided between the Alzheimer’s Society and the Fire Fighter’s charity.

John is passionate about his chosen charity.

His mother, Kath, had the condition and was cared for by his father, Brian, for 13 years until her death in 2007.

Brian now has Alzheimer's, having been diagnosed with it in 2014.

“They were market traders,” said John. “They were so active.

“The worst thing is its effects on families. You see them but you don’t see the person you knew. They are totally different.

“A person with the condition has a brain that weighs 140 g less than a normal brain.”

John has already received two donations of £10 towards the cause but wants to raise thousands of pounds.

To donate, see virginmoneygiving/johnburgess.