A FOOTBALL-mad Bury man is running three marathons in three days between the region’s football grounds, starting at the JD Stadium.

Stuart Farmer, aged 37, is getting his running shoes on to raise money for Cancer Research UK, and hopes to raise £1,000 for the charity by running nearly 80 miles in three days.

His journey will start on April 24 at Bury’s stadium, and throughout his trek he will take in eight stadiums of Greater Manchester clubs, including Old Trafford, the Etihad Stadium and the Reebok Stadium.

Mr Farmer, who is originally from Portsmouth, hopes to arrive back at the JD Stadium in time to watch his home team face the Shakers on April 26.

He says the idea for the challenge came when Shakers United, a youth football team he was involved with, walked from Bury FC to Old Trafford to raise money for charity.

Mr Farmer, of Warwick Close, Walshaw, said: “Someone was having a joke and said ‘I bet you won’t be able to run it’. In the following years I started to get into running.”

Mr Farmer underwent a double hernia operation three years ago, and was advised to take up running as part of his physio work.

He added: “I ran my first marathon last year and it gave me a bit of an appetite to do something more. It is not something I have ever tried before and I am not sure how it is going to go.”

He decided to raise money for cancer research because several members of his family have been affected by the disease over the past few years.

Running is not just a pastime for Mr Farmer any more, as he has given up his job working in advertising for Channel 4, and is currently completing a course in personal training at a gym in Manchester.

For more information about his challenge and to donate, visit justgiving.com/groundrun14