Brothers in a weighty charity run
EVERYDAY heroes Brendan and John Staples are deservedly resting on their laurels after running 24 miles wearing 5.6 kg weights to raise funds for Pieta House last weekend.
The charitable brothers, sons of former Mayor Cllr Frank Staples, completed their fundraising run from New Ross to Wexford town, in four hours 20 minutes last Saturday, cheered on all the way by other runners, friends and family members.
The 24 miles represent 24 hours in a day and the weighted vests were symbolic of the additional weight we carry on our shoulders when we suffer with mental health problems.
The run, and a series of other fundraisers carried out over the past few weeks, raised more thn €5,000 for Pieta House and the cash is still coming in, including on the website www. everydayhero.com/ie/
Brendan and John are nursing swollen knees and ankles, but are both doing well after their marathon along the N25, which ended on Wexford Quays.
The brothers said the reception they received during the run was ‘brilliant’.
Bredan, a personal trainer, said they were joined on route by people he worked for as a trainer as well as a lot of family members.
‘People were beeping their horns and at the Maldron about 20 people joined us and ran to the Quays,’ he said.
The weekend run was aimed at raising funds for Pieta House and raising awareness about mental health, and ‘we ticked both boxes’.
The brothers are still committed to staying off drink until the end of the year and, along with other planned events, including a joint fundraiser with their father’s Ask campaign, hope that their charity coffers will be further swelled.
‘All we’re doing now is trying to rest the legs,’ said Brendan,
‘Our family has a history of problems with mental health so it has always been something I’ve wanted to help out with in some way,’ he said.