Mark finishing the Moy Park Belfast City Half Marathon 2024 in support of Children’s Heartbeat Trust
Shea centre and his family
Shea and his younger brother Dara
Local man, Mark Cahir from Ardglass isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. He has set himself the extraordinary mission of completing 12 marathons in 12 months. This challenge is about much more than Mark’s passion for fitness. He will be raising funds in aid of Children’s Heartbeat Trust, a local charity which supports children and young people with heart disease.
The charity is close to Mark’s heart, as his nephew Shea was diagnosed with congenital heart disease (CHD) and hugely supported by the local charity.
Although Shea was born with a heart condition, unfortunately this was undetected and undiagnosed until the age of four when his family found out the life changing news. This led to him needing lifesaving surgery in May 2020, to have a pacemaker fitted. Since then, Shea has had to have a further emergency surgery but remains an upbeat, positive 8-year-old boy who loves football, gaelic, golf and gaming like his peers.
As a father of two young girls, Mark talks about the everyday responsibilities and non-stop worry of looking after them. He tells us, “I can only imagine what it’s like for my sister Claire and her family who have been in and out of hospital with Shea. Shea had to travel to Dublin for his surgeries but thanks to Children’s Heartbeat Trust they received fantastic practical, emotional, and financial support. The Family Support Team have been in regular contact throughout Shea’s heart journey which offered that extra bit of emotional support to my sister during some hard times.”
Mark is now on a mission to go the extra mile and help the charity continue to support ‘heart warriors’ like his nephew Shea by raising funds and awareness through his 12 marathons in 12 months challenge.
He hopes to complete marathons to include Dublin, Belfast, Manchester and Spain along with virtual marathons around his local town in abid to complete the challenge over the next 12 months. He hopes his fellow running club members, friends and family will come out on the virtual runs for encouragement and support.
Speaking on behalf of Children’s Heartbeat Trust, Lynn Cowan, Fundraising Manager for the charity comments, “We are absolutely delighted to have the support of Mark and his incredible 12 marathons in 12 months challenge. We wish him every success and encourage the local community to get behind him to raise as much funds and vital awareness as possible, of congenital heart disease (CHD) and its impact on children and their families in Northern Ireland.
If you’d like to donate, and keep up to date with Mark’s challenge you can visit Mark’s fundraising page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/mark-cahir-1725303358471
