A local man has shown that age is nothing but a number as he continues to collect medals and raise money running on the track, the road and up hills.

Barry Greaves, 65, began running in his 30s and has been a long-standing member of Royton Road Runners, with age showing no signs of slowing him down.

He competes in the Masters Athletics and already has four golds and one bronze medal since July along with a Manchester Marathon medal.

Barry says what keeps him going is the fact he is a "competitive creature" and that he finds running to be a "great way to live".

Barry won gold in the Northern Masters 5,000 meters track championship at East Cheshire Harriers in July with a time of 19:47 minutes. He followed that up a couple of months later with a bronze medal in the 10,000 meters in the track championship at Jarrow & Hebburn Athletic Club near Newcastle against competitors from all over the UK, finishing as the fastest 65-year-old with a time of 40:56 minutes.

He also won two golds at the final track meet at Bury Athletic Club in October, winning the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters with times of 5:28 minutes and 11:31 minutes respectively.

The Oldham Times: Barry's medals from this season.Barry's medals from this season.

Barry ran the Manchester Marathon this month in memory of his brother, Tony, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Between himself and three others, they raised over £3,000 for Motor Neurone Disease Association, after Tony died of the disease.

Barry has enjoyed a lot of success on the track but also enjoys fell running, which involves running up and across hills.

He says he has run a marathon every year for the last 32 years along with all his track and fell running and doesn't seem to be interested in slowing down any time soon.

When asked if running in competitions overseas interests him, Barry said: "Why not?"

He said that he still has "some big fish to fry over here" but doesn't see why his running couldn't take him to face new challenges in new countries.

The Oldham Times: Barry GreavesBarry Greaves