AN investigation is being held into the sudden death of sports mad 29-year-old Garry Giles, who collapsed and died while taking part in the Salisbury fire station ten-mile run on Sunday.

Garry, a lifelong fitness fanatic, who played football for Marlborough Town FC and cricket for Mildenhall CC, was less than 300m from the finish line when fellow runners noticed that he was in trouble.

Race marshals despatched a team of first-aiders from the fire station to the roadside adjacent to Five Rivers leisure centre, where Garry had passed out.

Fire officer Ludo MacAulay said that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR were administered on the spot and an ambulance reached the scene within five minutes.

But attempts to revive the carpenter from Calne were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead half-an-hour later in Salisbury District Hospital.

Garry took up running two years ago but was not a member of an athletics club.

He travelled to Salisbury on Sunday with his older brother, John (30), and close friend, Matt Parson, to take part in the race for fun.

Super-fit Garry, a non-smoker who was rarely ill, was soon streaking ahead, as he usually did.

His devastated brother said: "We were each running our own race so we were not together.

"Garry was well ahead of us. I thought he would be waiting for me at the finish line."

But instead, John and Matt crossed the finish line to be met by a fire officer asking them to report to Salisbury District Hospital.

Heartbroken parents Dave and Di Giles, who live near Marlborough, recalled how Garry excelled at all sports.

As well as playing football and cricket every week, he was keen on tennis and golf, and was an accomplished angler.

Mrs Giles said: "His school teachers used to say he was only happy when he had a ball in his hand."

Mr Giles added: "Sport was most of his life - he lived for it."

Salisbury police attended after receiving a call from the fire brigade and carried out routine inquiries.

The race followed a circular route from the fire station through the Woodford Valley.

It has not yet been firmly established whether Sunday's searing heat played any part in Garry's collapse.

Moments before the race started, the 170 participants - many of whom were members of clubs and accustomed to long-distance running - were warned to beware of dehydration and told to contact one of a team of marshals cycling alongside them if they had any difficulty.

A file has been handed to the coroner's office in Salisbury.

A decision on whether to hold an inquest into the death was expected to be made this week.