‘I just think of how vital the fundraising is for sick kids’
By Samantha Derenthal
Firefighter Padraig Thompson is training to run 100 miles in six days through the jungle of Costa Rica to raise funds for sick children.
Padraig from Clondalkin, leaves for San José on January 12 and will begin running a marathon a day for six days.
Padraig Thompson
Padraig, who is based at Tallaght Fire Station, has been involved in several fundraising challenges with CMRF Crumlin over the last two years, and is is keen to raise funds through physical challenges to support families going through their toughest emotional challenge in the hospital.
“I’ve done a few crazy things over the years to help raise awareness of CMRF Crumlin” Padraig said.
“A couple of years ago I gave myself a really good challenge. I’m a firefighter and we use mannequins to train with, so it gave me the idea.
“I ran the Dublin City Marathon with one of the mannequins on my shoulder for the entire race.
“They weigh about 40-50 kilos. It represented the weight on your shoulders when you’ve a sick child in the hospital. I actually stopped during the race when I was passing my girlfriend who was cheering me on, and I proposed to her then.
“It was a really special fundraising experience because thankfully she said yes! We didn’t realise until that evening that my proposal had gone viral and was online and on TV too.”
Padraig Thompson (left) ran a marathon blindfolded in 2015 (pic: Linda Scully)
Last year Padraig ran about three marathons in one go, a distance of approximately 116 kilometers.
He started on the Saturday night before the actual race and ran straight into the Dublin Marathon.
Padraig raised money for CMRF and also did it out of respect and to raise awareness of the rescue helicopter 116 that went down last year.
Bond with CMRF
In August, Padraig was part of the #run100miles challenge.
During the 31 days of August 100 people ran a mile and added it to the total. The funds went to CMRF Crumlin and cancer awareness.
At the end of July, Padraig lost his mother and the challenge was also in her memory.
Speaking about his bond with CMRF, Padraig said, “The reason I keep going back to CMRF is because of the incredible relationships I have with the staff there.
“Antoinette, Gerry, and any of the team I work with have always been incredible.
“There’s sort of a family feel to it. I might not see anyone for a year until we get to New York for the marathon, but suddenly it’s like being reunited with family. This feeling makes it so easy to fundraise with CMRF again.”
Costa Rica Challenge
In January 2019 Padraig will fly to San José with 15 other runners to take on the Costa Rica Challenge.
He will stay in local houses with a guide to bring them through the jungle.
“The training for Costa Rica now is hard too…but when I put my runners on and get out the door I convince myself to do a little, then I get into it and I keep going.
“I will be ready for Costa Rica on January 12 to help the families in the hospital. When I’m training and it gets tough, I just try to think of how vital the fundraising is to the organisation and to some of Ireland’s sickest children”.
If you would like to donate or find out more about CMRF Crumlin visit their online site at https://cmrf.org
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