A NORTH Lancashire man has completed a triathlon with a difference in memory of his father, raising more than £1,500 in the process.

Stephen Weatherhead, known as Ste, decided he wanted to do something to raise money for Rosemere as a unique way to mark his 35th birthday.

His late father, who received treatment at the Rosemere Cancer Centre, was also an avid fundraiser for the charity.

Remembering that his father had owned a set of kayaks, he decided that he would embark on a journey from Carnforth, where his dad had lived, to the Wirral, travelling by kayak, bike and lastly on foot to complete his journey.

Ste’s journey began at 7am with a kayak journey along a 10-mile stretch of canal in some rather challenging weather conditions between Carnforth and Galgate Marina. He then jumped on to his bike (picking up a broken tail light and a few punctures on the way) for a 80-plus mile cycle through to Chester, before completing his adventure with an exhausting 13-mile run in the dark back to his house where he arrived at 1am the next day.

In total, Steve raised £1,576 in sponsorship from friends, family and colleagues at Lancaster University, all of which will go to support local cancer patients.

Ste said: “Although I’ve done a few half marathons before, this is by far the biggest physical challenge I’ve ever taken on.

“Although there were some hard bits along the way, it was a wonderful way to connect with my dad on my birthday and the people I met on my journey made it such a memorable experience. I think I might do something a bit more relaxing for my 36th birthday though.”

Anne Sweeney, of Rosemere, said: “We’d like to thank Steve for taking on such a fantastic challengee. It’s wonderful that he found such a different and personal way to fundraise and have a good time along the way, despite the weather.”