MEET the man who hit the treadmill for 24 hours ­— while live streaming it on Facebook.

Symon Hughes, from Blackburn, ran 116 miles in 24 hours, taking three minute breaks every hour, as a personal challenge after he failed his first attempt last year.

The 31-year-old who runs The Fitness Bank and Girls On Top gyms in Oswaldtwistle raised £800 on the day without advertising the run, and will now split the money between the Hyndburn Stray Dogs charity and Milly’s Smiles, which helps families of children diagnosed with life threatening diseases.

When he first undertook the challenge, he raised £3,000 but only ran for 15 hours after he suffered a groin injury.

He said: “It was a personal challenge because I failed in the past and this was for my own piece of mind.

“Last year I raised £3,000 for Broadfield School and lasted 15 hours, but I was injured by the second hour. I am not built like a runner, so this isn’t something I am used to.”

Mr Hughes spent time training for the run but admits he could have done more, especially last year.

He said: “I trained hard for only eight weeks and people prepare a year in advance for marathons.

“It got to me that I didn’t finish last time. It was always on my mind, so when I had time to train again, I went for it. Everyone was really supportive both times and still donated.

“I had breaks but I didn’t really eat much because I would get cramps. I averaged about five and a half miles per hour.

“I just wanted to complete it, because if I say I want to do something, then I do it.”

This time round the gym owner injured his knees but did not want to give up.

He said: “My knees were bad after two hours, but my mentality was strong and wouldn’t let me stop.

“At the end, there were 200 people watching and people were coming in and out of the gym.

“I did not know what to expect, but people raised money by putting it in buckets. I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

“I am thankful to everyone really, all the support has been incredible.”

The run was also live streamed on Facebook where it has had over 12,000 views.

Despite only completing it last Friday, the fitness guru is already back at the gym, looking forward to his upcoming Thailand trip.