In 1946 Mike’s mother and father, Charles and Mary Parsons, started making cycle panniers in the upstairs of their shop in Rossendale. Karrimor International Ltd was the result and from 1960 Mike led the company to being a worldwide brand. As Managing Director he created some of the outdoor industry's iconic products. The Alpiniste, KSB, Hot Ice, Karrimat, Jaguar to name but a few. In 1996, with 320 employees and a turnover of £20m, Mike moved on taking his passion for the sport of mountain marathons with him and the originating event, the KIMM. This was soon to become known as the Original Mountain Marathon or OMM.
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