Andrew’s 4x4x48 endurance inspires his mum Patricia
EMOTIONS were running high as 25 year old Andrew Keenan finished his gruelling 4x4x48 challenge at his home at Lynns, Annagassan on Easter Saturday night, raising over €18,000 for the Irish Cancer Society.
Andrew, who works as a self-employed carpenter, had set himself the challenge of running four miles every four hours, making a total of 80 miles, over a 48 hour period to raise funds for the cancer charity.
Andrew, who is a keen golfer, had taken up running during lockdown and decided to take on the demanding challenge as both his mother Patricia and close friend Sean Maguire are undergoing treatment for cancer.
He set up a fundraising page on JustGiving. ie and has been blown away with the response.
‘It’s raised over €17,000 so far, almost twice my target of €10,000.’
Andrew started the challenge at midnight on Thursday April 1, and ran four miles every four hours, finishing up on Saturday evening at 8pm.
His uncle Con McNamee, cousins Claire and Laura Keenan, Sean’s brother Eddie, and a number of friends joined him at various stages, while his friend Aaron Lally followed him on his bike, getting stunning drone footage as Andrew ran on roads within a 5km radius of his home.
Andrew was given a hero’s welcome as he crossed the finishing line which the family at set up outside his home.
He was, however, much too tired for any celebrations, as he hadn’t managed to sleep at all during the 48 hour period of the challenge.
His challenge has been a huge inspiration for his mum, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma before Christmas, having previously beaten breast cancer.
‘We’re very proud of Andrew, he put so much time and energy into the challenge,’ says Patricia. ‘ He trained hard and it all paid off as can be seen by the generous donations received for the Irish Cancer Society. It gave us all a good distraction from the reality of living with Cancer and the monotony of hospital visits and chemo treatments. We are all looking forward to the future and celebrating his achievement and the end of my treatment with a good old party, when we are allowed.
She also thanked all his who supported him and ran with him, and especially Aaron Lally who did an amazing job videoing the event.
Andrew’s friend Sean, who is undergoing treatment for Angiosarcoma, was also at the finishing line to congratulate him on his magnificent achievement.