Bridging the US! Kerryman runs and cycles across States for charity
ENDURANCE runner Shane Finn has completed one of the most extraordinary solo charity treks ever undertaken by an athlete from these shores.
The 26-year-old, from Dingle, Co. Kerry, cycled and ran 5,000km from San Francisco to New York to raise money for charity.
His 36-day trek crossed 11 American states. He traversed mountain ranges rising to 3,300 metres as well as deserts and prairies, crossed many time zones and survived dramatic climate changes.
And the woman he hugged first when he was finished was the inspiration for his extraordinary ‘American Ultra’, his first cousin Mary Evans, 37, from Celbridge, Co. Kildare. She met him in New York after he crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to complete his trek.
Mary has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and Finn’s adventure was just his latest to raise funds for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (SBHI) and highlight the struggle his cousin faces every day. ‘I got a small bit emotional when I saw Mary and my mom and my brother,’ he said. ‘It was a great feeling to cross that bridge. I’d been thinking about that moment for two years.’
He added: ‘ Fatigue was the toughest thing, especially in the last two weeks.’
Finn’s feat was achieved with support from food firm John West, charity partners of SBHI, who helped him take on board the 8,000 calories he needed daily. He used a six-day rotation of cycling 270km for each of three consecutive days, followed by another three of running 60km daily.
He and his tiny support team were hit with a snowstorm at one point but managed to get back on schedule thanks to Finn’s physical fitness and mental resilience.
‘Whenever I had tough times I always thought of Mary and everyone I know at SBHI. Any struggles I had were nothing compared to the uphill battles they have every single day,’ he said.
‘I got a small bit emotional’