A grandfather, a couple who recently lost six stone between them and more than a few “tough mothers” are just some of the people who will be joining fitness expert Pat Divilly at the Tough Mudder race in Punchestown this weekend with the aim of raising €100,000 for charity.
Pat, who runs his fitness training business in Barna, Co Galway, and has more than 100,000 followers on Facebook, is an ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and decided to put together the PDF4CF team to compete in the endurance event.
“I was going to try to bring 400 people, but it has just snowballed, so we have 530 from all over the country, ranging in age from 18 to 62,” he says, adding that trainers in Dublin, Cork, Mayo and Sligo have also been providing free prep sessions to make it a truly national effort. This is the first time that the Tough Mudder event has been held in Ireland – and it’s not for the faint-hearted, with the 20km course around Punchestown featuring numerous obstacles, including the infamous Arctic enema ice bath, Everest ramp, ladder to hell… and even dodging electric shocks via the electric eel obstacle.
“But there’s a lot of people (with cystic fibrosis) and for them, walking up a set of stairs has them out of breath,” says Pat. “We’ve got an opportunity here to push ourselves and do something big.”
It’s a cause close to the team’s heart as one of organising committee, 25-year-old Kate Kavanagh, recently underwent a double lung transplant. To date, €35,000 in fundraising has been lodged in the bank, there are 400 sponsorship cards in circulation and local businesses are also getting on board, with Anthony Ryan’s donating the proceeds from their fashion show to the effort.
The final figure will be split 50:50 between the Galway Hospital Project and CF Ireland to support the charity’s exercise and nutrition programme for CF patients. All donations are welcome, either by sending a cheque for PDF4CF to Pat Divilly Fitness, Freeport, Barna, Co Galway, or calling 085-185-0855 for further information.
For more about Tough Mudder, see read more here
A grandfather, a couple who recently lost six stone between them and more than a few “tough mothers” are just some of the people who will be joining fitness expert Pat Divilly at the Tough Mudder race in Punchestown this weekend with the aim of raising €100,000 for charity.
Pat, who runs his fitness training business in Barna, Co Galway, and has more than 100,000 followers on Facebook, is an ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and decided to put together the PDF4CF team to compete in the endurance event.
“I was going to try to bring 400 people, but it has just snowballed, so we have 530 from all over the country, ranging in age from 18 to 62,” he says, adding that trainers in Dublin, Cork, Mayo and Sligo have also been providing free prep sessions to make it a truly national effort. This is the first time that the Tough Mudder event has been held in Ireland – and it’s not for the faint-hearted, with the 20km course around Punchestown featuring numerous obstacles, including the infamous Arctic enema ice bath, Everest ramp, ladder to hell… and even dodging electric shocks via the electric eel obstacle.
“But there’s a lot of people (with cystic fibrosis) and for them, walking up a set of stairs has them out of breath,” says Pat. “We’ve got an opportunity here to push ourselves and do something big.”
It’s a cause close to the team’s heart as one of organising committee, 25-year-old Kate Kavanagh, recently underwent a double lung transplant. To date, €35,000 in fundraising has been lodged in the bank, there are 400 sponsorship cards in circulation and local businesses are also getting on board, with Anthony Ryan’s donating the proceeds from their fashion show to the effort.
The final figure will be split 50:50 between the Galway Hospital Project and CF Ireland to support the charity’s exercise and nutrition programme for CF patients. All donations are welcome, either by sending a cheque for PDF4CF to Pat Divilly Fitness, Freeport, Barna, Co Galway, or calling 085-185-0855 for further information.
For more about Tough Mudder, see read more here
SHARING OPTIONS