Hi all,

I've chosen to fundraise for the Dillon Quirke Foundation to support their free cardiac screening initiative for young people (aged 12-18) involved in sport, and I will be running a 101 km ultra marathon in Kerry in September.

What I'm doing?

I'll be running over 101 km+ (2.5 marathons) which will include over 9000 feet of climbing, over hills, trails and boggy surfaces in one go on September 6th - 7th, 2024. As a former GAA player, these are distances I'm not naturally accustomed to - but I am thankful to be in a position to take on the challenge, suffer through it, and raise awareness and funds for a great cause.

This testing off-road route following the beautiful "Kerry Way" will take me from Dromid in South Kerry to Killarney, via Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem, Templenoe, and Kenmare, across the trails, by-roads and hills in one continuous effort. My run will begin at 9pm on Friday evening 6th September, and will continue through the night to the finish - hopefully completing it within 15hrs as part of the official Kerry Way Ultra Nite timed race.

-> Track my progress (or lack there of) on the link here: Race Tracking link (#370 is me)

-> Check out my John Meskell - Instagram account for updates in the lead up and during the race

I'm hoping my short term suffering will help raise invaluable funds to support the Dillon Quirke Foundations free cardiac screening initiative, and thereby helping other families avoid the heartache of losing someone to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADs) into the future.

"Imagine the lives we can save together"

Below is the 101km route I'm planning to cover for my run to fundraise for the Dillon Quirke Foundation

Kerry Way 101km Route

Background

August 5th, 2024 will mark the 2nd anniversary of the untimely passing of Clonoulty-Rossmore and Tipperary hurler Dillon Quirke at 24 years of age, due to SAD's. It highlighted the fragility of life when someone like Dillon, physically in their prime as a club and intercounty hurler, could succumb to such a tragic faith on the field of play - playing the sport he loved.

Dillon's passing certainly resonated deeply within the GAA community, and as someone who has been involved playing or coaching GAA all my life, and currently managing my own club (Ahane) senior hurling team, I wanted to do something to both raise awareness and support the brilliant initiative that the Dillon Quirke Foundation are undertaking, with widespread, free cardiac screening for young people (aged 12-18) involved in sport. Cardiac screening can help prevent SADS by identifying heart conditions at an early stage before they cause symptoms.

The Foundation was established by Dillon’s family – his parents Dan and Hazel, and his sisters Shannon and Kellie. Dillon’s family want to prevent other families from going through what they have experienced and, in the process, save lives.

On average, SAD's takes 100 young lives in Ireland every year. With your help, their aim is to raise awareness and save lives through a free cardiac screening programme.

Why your donation is important!

As of August 5th, 2024, and incredible 7,037 screenings have been conducted through the work of the foundation across many codes (GAA, soccer, rugby, boxing performing arts), including my own GAA club Ahane in Limerick.

The challenge is to enable the foundation to continue to target their substantial goal to cover 10,000 free cardiac screenings each year. Carrying out these cardiac screenings obviously have costs associated, and everything we can raise here will go towards supporting this.

"Imagine the lives we can save together"

I hope you can help me by donating whatever you can. Simply click the Donate button above. All donations are processed securely.

You can also share my page using Share options below - this is another great way to show your support.

Many thanks for your support.

John Meskell

John Meskell's 101km Ultra-marathon for Dillon Quirke Foundation

Created by John Meskell

Gallery

Contact Us

Quick Links

Safe & Secure