Irish entrepreneur Alan Heaney from County Mayo will take part in the "777" challenge: seven marathons on seven continents in seven consecutive days. He will join a group of forty athletes from around the world to raise funds for two local charities.
The race begins on November 15 in Antarctica. From there, the participants will fly to Cape Town, then to Perth, Singapore, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, and finally Miami. Each day, they will run a marathon distance in a new city. The athletes face sharp temperature swings, from minus thirty degrees Celsius to heat above forty, along with long flights, time zone changes, and very little time to recover.
Alan Heaney has been taking part in extreme challenges for ten years in a row to help charitable foundations. In that time, he has raised more than €285,000. Among his previous feats are a five-day, 265-kilometre run across the Sahara Desert and several cycling events of between 600 and 2,000 kilometres. He covers all the costs of his challenges himself, so every donation goes entirely to the foundations.
This year, he is raising money for the Sunflower children's hospice and the Mindspace Mayo psychological support service. The Sunflower hospice is planned for the town of Castlebar and will provide specialised care for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from across the west coast of Ireland. According to Martina Jennings, head of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, which is funding the construction, every euro raised brings them closer to their goal.
When you take on something like this, there are many hard and long days ahead, but knowing that you are really changing families' lives for the better keeps you going.
— Alan Heaney
Heaney told journalists that his main motivation is the chance to help those who have been less fortunate. He keeps himself in constant physical shape so that he is ready for any sporting challenge at any moment. Besides business and training, he works on his farm, takes part in local volunteer groups, and coaches children's Gaelic football teams.
He acknowledges that the coming challenge will be hard. Beyond the running, there are many other factors: stomach upsets, dehydration, overheating or hypothermia, nausea, muscle cramps. "My body will take a serious beating, and the temperature swings and time zone changes will make things harder," he said.
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