An Edgworth man will take part in the Bolton Ironman event this weekend in memory of a friend who was killed by a drug driver.

Stephen Riddle will be taking on the gruelling triathlon on Sunday, June 30, in memory of his friend and fellow triathlete Steve White, who was tragically killed by a drug driver while on a training cycle ride, aged just 54.

Mr Riddle, who has completed two Ironman events, has also fought back for the past two-and-a-half years from a life-threatening bout of sepsis while undergoing major abdominal surgery in order to pay tribute to Mr White, who was killed in 2020, and to raise funds for Cancer Research UK – a cause close to his friend’s heart.

He has already raised more than £400 through his JustGiving page.

Mr White, who also lived in Edgworth, was a member of Holcombe Harriers running club.

He was cycling in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, on a long-distance cycle ride while training for an Ironman himself when he was struck by a driver who was high on cocaine, suffering serious injuries from which he later died in hospital.

The driver of the car which struck him had four times the legal limit of Benzoylecgonine – a major metabolite of cocaine – in his blood at the time.

He was jailed for seven years in 2021 for causing death by driving while unfit through drugs.

The Bolton Ironman is one of several endurance events in 2024 being undertaken by Mr Riddle, a British Triathlon-registered coach and swimming instructor, as a tribute to his friend and to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in recognition of Mr White’s fundraising efforts for cancer charities.

His Ironman event comes just a week after he completed another of his 2024 fundraising schedule, a 5.25-mile end-to-end swim at Coniston Water in the Lake District.

Mr Riddle, 60, of Bury Road, Edgworth, said, “Steve was so passionate about sport, he’s someone who has inspired and motivated me to try to make a difference.

“His death was such a shock, and such a tragic loss of an amazing guy.

“Hopefully by me completing these events it will help to carry on his fundraising efforts to support the great work of Cancer Research UK in the fight to find a cure.”