Marathon Man! 8 Marathons in 8 Days

07 October 2009

From October 19th to 26th, Drogheda man, Gerard Fay will undertake a challenge of running/walking the Dublin Marathon course 8 times, finishing with the Marathon itself on the 26th, in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI).

The 8 day challenge will cover a distance of 210 miles (336km) and is being done to raise awareness of Cystic Fibrosis (CF), and to raise vital funds for the 8 Centres of Excellence around the country, as well as to help with CF Research. 

Once the Dublin marathon is complete, Gerard's challenge does not stop there, as 6 days later he will go on to take part in the New York Marathon.

Over the years, Gerard has completed many challenges for cystic fibrosis, and has completed 56 marathons to date, over 25 half marathons and numerous smaller races, as well as a walk from Dublin to Cavan, and Drogheda to Galway.  Also, in August this year he undertook a 24 hour walk and completed 95 miles over the 24 hours.

Two years ago, Gerard Fay, who is Chairman of the North Eastern branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland set himself a target to personally raise €100,000 for CFAI. Over the past two years Gerard has raised €70,000 and hopes to raise a further €30,000 by the CFAI Annual Conference which is being held in Kilkenny next April; which he will walk to as part of his fundraising mission.

Speaking about his fundraising Gerard said "This year, being the 30th Dublin Marathon, I decided to do something different than just the marathon and so this idea of 8 marathons in 8 days, followed by the New York Marathon came about. If by doing this, I can help improve the lives of those with Cystic Fibrosis and help to improve services for them then it is a challenge worth doing.  I have lost 3 cousins to CF and numerous friends, and all my efforts are done in their memory and I am sure they would approve of what I am doing. I'm sure they would probably say that I am a totally crazy marathon man!" 

To find out more on how to get involved in fundraising or to donate, contact Gerard on (087) 2398881 or visit: www.mycharity.ie/event/gerard_fays_event. For more information on Cystic Fibrosis and CFAI visit: www.cfireland.ie.