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.
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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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