Archie and his parents Una and Kenneth with Chris and his daughter Una at Mizen Head
Chris runs length of Ireland to raise over €150,000 for Archie
A man ran the length of Ireland in 11 days to raise money for Tallaght boy Archie Ennis who needs life-saving treatment.
Starting on Saturday, May 24, Dublin native Chris Connolly ran between 600 and 700 kilometres from Malin, Co Donegal to Mizen Head in County Cork.
His challenge impressed many as he raised over €150,000 exceeding his initial €100,000 target.
Facing dangerous country roads, feet and leg injuries and other setbacks, Chris ran about 50km per day, while he documented his adventure on his Instagram page ‘Get Better with Chris.’
People showed him amazing support along the way, like a nurse in Co Westmeath who opened her home to him to take care of his injuries, and a group of students lined up outside of their school to cheer him passing by.
At Mizen Head, a whole crowd was waiting for him on the 11th day, including Chris’ daughter, Una and Kenneth Ennis, with their little Archie.
They were there for four hours before Chris arrived. In an emotional video shared on the page, Una hugged Chris and gave flowers to his daughter.
As he said before in media interviews, Chris struggled with addiction for a long time and started finding purpose and strength in running during rehab.
“From the top of Ireland to the very bottom we made it, for a brave little boy who needs treatment. Every step was for him. Grateful, tired, and full of love,” he said on his page.
Archie Ennis (7) was diagnosed with rare degenerative disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy last December, and the family has received support from all sides of their community as they announced that Archie needed to go through a €3.2 million treatment in the United States.
“Chris asked us if it was okay, and made it a €100,000 goal,” said Una, who has raised over €600,000 for treatment as of now.
“This kind of support is absolutely amazing. It was very tough for him, but he got there.
“It’s a massive jump closer to what we need for the treatment, and he created awareness. We are grateful, but it’s hard to see that this is what we have to do now for our boy.”
To donate for Chris’ cause, visit ‘Team Archie 2025’ on GoFundMe.
To donate to the Ennis family directly, visit ‘Please Help Our Boy’ on GoFundMe.
