Ciarán is hoping a small bit of pain will result in a lot of gain for ISPCA
A CYCLIST turned runner, living in Castlebridge, is hoping to complete a mammoth quest in July of this year - running 600km in nine days.
Ciarán Fitzgerald, who is originally from Waterford, is aiming to complete a 600km trail run along the E8 hiking trail, starting at the Dursey cable car on the Beara Peninsula and ending in Marlay Park nine days later. By doing this, he hopes to raise vital funds for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).
Ciarán is not affiliated to any running club; his main love is cycling but he said that he relished the idea of a new challenge.
‘I’m normally a cyclist but I did a stupidly long race in 2016 and completed it. So this time, I wanted to do something that people might think I couldn’t finish. I’ve always loved cycling for my own enjoyment but I felt I had completed enough long distance rides - people started asking if I was doing them for charity and so I decided that I would do something different for a charity.’
Ciarán is no stranger to endurance tasks; in 2014 he kayaked the Shannon to raise money for research into Parkinson’s Disease.
This time around, his chosen charity is the ISPCA.
‘The people working with the ISPCA see so many horrible things, it’s never ending. In 2017, there are still people who believe that the life of an animal is theirs to own and to destroy as they please, often in the most inhumane way possible.’
Ciarán hopes that he can ease the pain and suffering of even one animal, by putting himself through a little bit of pain to raise funds, though he joked that depending on how his knees held up, he might experience a lot of pain!
He added: ‘The ISPCA work tirelessly to help save vulnerable animals from conditions that are just unimaginable. They deal with abandoned and abused animals day-in, day-out and I’m constantly in awe of their amazing work.’
Ciarán will start his run on July 14. For more information on his event, or, if you would like to donate, log on to: www. aranrothar.com.