An Irishman is running a "gruelling" six-day race in the Sahara Desert in honour of his close friend and classmate who died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS).
Clare native Matthew Halpin will undertake what he labelled as "the biggest mental and physical challenge of my life" to raise awareness of the condition that caused the untimely death of talented scientist Kevin Hayes in 2017.
Kevin was described as "an outstanding scientist" who was in the final stages of writing up his PhD study at the University of Limerick, when he died suddenly.
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"This race is for Kevin. He was a young man who always had a smile on his face and personally went out of his way to help others. He was hugely determined and focused on his passions (cooking, the dogs' trust, socializing with friends & family and advancing the field of biologics through his doctoral studies at UL)," Matthew wrote.
Matthew, 32, said Kevin was his dear friend, with the pair having lived together for placement in 2011, where they instantly bonded over a love of cooking.
The race, called the Marathon Des Sables, takes place this month over six days and is a 250km multi-stage race in the Sahara desert, with temperatures reaching as high as 50 degrees celsius at times.
The Shannon native, who lived for a decade in Cork after college, stressed that early detection of SADS is key and that genetic testing and heart screening are two tools used in determining if someone is at risk of the condition.
"Having these answers saves lives," he said, adding: "This is why I am running the MDS - to remember my friend and to raise awareness and much needed funds for the work of the charity Heart House."
Based out of Dublin's Mater hospital, Heart house is a free family heart screening clinic. Founded in 2007, to date they have tested over 11,000 people for inherited cardiac conditions.
So far, the fundraiser has raised over €13,000 out of its €20,000 goal.
"The money raised for this race would go a long way to supporting additional resources and testing at Heart House so that they can continue to minimise impacts of this tragic condition on our young people," Matthew said.
He added that often on his long runs in training for the MDS, he think about what Kevin would say if he knew what he was doing.
"His first reaction would be to say, with a big broad smile on his face “Go away, unreal!! Followed by 'How can I help'" Matthew said, in honour of his friend who tragically passed away.
Click here to donate towards Matthew's GoFundMe.
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