A determined man is set to take on two huge endurance challenges to raise money for a good cause.
John Blake, 43, will be running the Ironman race and Dublin City Marathon to fundraise for the Ballybrack Bulls, a local wheelchair basketball club. John told Dublin Live: "The players are phenomenal athletes and they do it so effortlessly.
"It costs them €120 a week just to rent the hall for training. Their costs are probably €4,000 a year. I want to raise enough money to give them enough security for a year so they don't have to worry about being able to afford rent or new gear."
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This isn't the first time the kind-hearted Ballybrack man has raised money for charity.
He said: "I’ve done a huge amount of this kind of stuff before for my main charity which is Suicide Or Survive. I’ve raised over €35,000 in the last three years by doing the same kind of thing."
On October 15, John will compete in the Ironman race in Cascais, Portugal which involves a 1.9km sea swim followed by a 90km cycle, and finally a half marathon run. Two weeks later on October 30, he will take part in the Dublin City Marathon- a 26.2-mile race around the capital.
He hopes that he'll be able to raise enough money to support the Ballybrack Bulls in the upcoming season. John has been training 14 hours a week for the past year for the races.
John said he came up with the idea for the fundraiser after he was approached by Ballybrack Bulls coach Graham Merrigan. "I’ve done a lot of work with him with Suicide Or Survive. He’s a good campaigner and ambassador for mental health around the area."
John also said he was grateful to his company, Designer Group, for their support. He said: "My company has been so understanding of my life. I do a lot of work for mental health in the construction centre.
"Michael Stone, our CEO, is hugely supportive of charity work. He’s a good man."
You can donate here to help John with his cause.
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