I see the fit Mark Wolfe, managing director of Atkins Machinery in Cork, is taking on the Hardman-Ironman challenge in Killarney on the weekend of 23 August. The event sees athletes take to the saddle, water and tarmac to showcase extreme levels of fitness and endurance. Mark has been in training for a 3.8km swim to “warm up”, followed by a 180km cycle and a full marathon (42km) to finish the day off.

Mark noticed that this was a prime opportunity to raise awareness and funds for the Irish Cancer Society. He declared that all charitable donations received would benefit this charity in honour of his father, Peter, who passed away earlier this year.

From the beginning, Mark aimed to raise €10 for every kilometre completed. This would give him a final total of €2,260, a credible donation in any circumstance. Then Tony Brady of Husqvarna Ireland stepped in with a donation of a flagship Husqvarna CTH 224 tractor valued at over €4,000. This was enough for Mark to rather creatively place another zero onto his goal, thus raising the bar for other suppliers to make up the difference to €22,600.