I have decided to run 12 marathons in 12 months to try and raise some funds for the Children’s Heartbeat Trust.

Children’s Heartbeat Trust is a local charity that provides practical and emotional support to children and young people living with congenital heart disease (CHD) in Northern Ireland. Over 200 babies are born each year in Northern Ireland with CHD, one of these being my nephew Shea who was born with total heart block and this ultimately led to him needing surgery in May 2020 to have a pacemaker fitted at just 4 years old. Since then, Shea has undergone further surgeries and the Children’s Heartbeat Trust have provided great support to Shea, his Mummy and Daddy Claire and Stewart and his little brother Dara throughout his journey.

The Children’s Heartbeat Trust unfortunately does not receive any government funding despite all the incredible work it does - every donation no matter how big or small will go a long way in helping the Trust continue their vital role in supporting children like Shea and their families.

I will be completing my first of 12 marathons in Dublin this coming October. Over the next 12 months, I’ll be doing as many official races as possible with San Sebastián, Manchester and Belfast already planned and hopefully another few European and Ireland marathons as well. Alongside the official races, I will be completing virtual marathons around the local area and hopefully some of you might join me for the local runs or maybe even the abroad ones if your feeling brave enough!

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Mark