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Tom Foley will attempt to run 20 marathons in 10 days next month. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
TO COMPLETE a marathon just once in a lifetime is an achievement, but to finish 20 of them in 10 days is otherworldly.
And that’s exactly what Fairway Heights resident, Tom Foley, will attempt to do when he heads for the north of Italy in August.
It’s difficult to get your head around it but over the course of ten days Tom, originally from the Mitchels area, will run 526 miles – in conditions of over 30 degrees – in aid of the ‘Jacket Off My Back’ homeless charity.
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“Some people might service their car after that!” chuckled a hardly overawed Tom, who had a gentle warm-up at the weekend, when he cycled the Ring of Kerry event and then decided to run home from Killarney afterwards…as you do.
The unbelievable task will get underway on Saturday August 6. From then, Tom will run two marathons a day over the next ten days. Starting each day with a marathon at 8am, followed by another at 2pm.
It is a world’s first official 2o marathons in 10 days event. Taking up the challenge alongside Tom so far are 15 other trailblazers, including some of the top marathon athletes Italy has to offer.
“I like to do something different and I keep looking for something bigger and bigger,” he said.
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In 2014 he cycled from Tralee to Rome as part of ‘Home to Rome’ cycle in aid of the Donal Walsh Livelife Foundation. Last year he ran 103 miles over 24 hours in the Energia 24 Hour Irish Championships.
Tom, is a father to Aaron who’s 14 and nine-year-old Jazz, is a member of the Born to Run club here in town.
At the time this was published, Tom, has finished 25 marathons and is hoping to complete two more before this weekend is out. The 37-year-old completed his first marathon just three years ago. “Age is no barrier, it’s just how you look after yourself,” he said.
With the mammoth task now just under a month away, it’s a case of minding the and increasing strength and conditioning to help him get through the rigour of marathon after marathon in such a short space of time.
One aspect that is slight worry is the 30 or even 40 degree heat he may experience in Italy. “It would be great if I could go off and acclimatise and all that craic, but I reckon this is more of mental challenge than a physical one, I’ll just have to keep going,” said Tom.
He will be running in Italy on behalf of the Jacket Off My Back homeless charity. You can lend your support to Tom and the charity by donating to the cause HERE and checking out his 20 Marathons in 10 Days page HERE.
