Tallaght man raising €5,000 for Pieta House by running marathon blindfolded

By Mary Dennehy

SERIAL fundraiser James Lumumba isn’t running out of ways to raise money for charity, with the Jobstown resident this month taking on the Dublin Marathon for Pieta House – blindfolded.

Well-known across the community for his fundraising efforts, James will take on the marathon blindfolded, and will be assisted by his running guide Nico Giglione – all in the hope of raising €5,000 for the suicide prevention centre.

According to James: “I want to support the people who are battling mental health in the dark, I want to support the people who have taken their own life.

“What I’m trying to do is raise awareness of the number of people who are losing their life to suicide and raise awareness for mental health – get people talking about mental health and suicide.

“So many people feel like their alone in the dark, with no one to turn to, so if there is one person who I can reach out to and help, well it’s one more life saved.

“My target is to try and raise €5,000 for Pieta House . . . I know it’s a big target but I know with the support of you all we can do this together.”

He added: “I have previously ran 2 marathons, in Chicago and Barcelona, so I know the pain involved, but running this blindfolded is more than a physical challenge.”

In preparation for the Dublin Marathon, James has previously run a 5K, 10 mile and half marathon blindfolded and feels ready to take on the Dublin Marathon – which hits the city streets on Sunday, October 30.

James is appealing to members of the community to support his challenge in aid of Pieta House by donating online at www.everydayhero.com and search for James Lumumba, whose challenge is called Running for Mental Health.

Pieta House offers specialised treatment programmes for people who have suicidal ideation or who participate in self-harming behaviour.

You can dontate by to James’ fund HERE

For more visit www.pieta.ie