An English/Scottish couple are making their way around the Donegal coast this week on a mighty fundraising run for charity.
Simon Clark and Rachel Winter have been running around Ireland’s coastline since 7th August 2018. They set off from Dublin on ‘just a little run’ and have charted city streets, back roads, cliff tops and beaches on their epic journey.
Staying as close as possible to the shore, they hope to finish back in Dublin and return home to Findhorn, Scotland by early March.
Simon and Rachel set out from Killybegs today (Monday) as they move through Donegal on their 2,300-mile, clockwise-circumnavigation of Ireland’s wild, wiggly, windswept coastline.
Two Hearts & Four Feet – Just a Little Run Around Ireland
Simon, a building designer, who is also keeping up with work en route, and Rachel, Ecologia Youth Trust’s former Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator, are running with no support team, carrying everything they need, sometimes wild-camping in sleeping and bivi bags.
They have passed 1800 miles, and are fundraising in aid of Ecologia’s work around the world with orphans and vulnerable children. They hope to raise over £10,000, and have raised £5,200 to date.
They’ve no budget for accommodation and live frugally, relying on the kindness of locals to give them shelter from the rain, hail and snow of Ireland’s seasons.
On their Donegal travels, Simon said: “We move northwards along the coast of County Donegal each day, not knowing where we will stay each night. On Friday Siobhan Murray the Donegal Town dentist, the Blue Poppy, put us up, having met us briefly on a beach in September in Clonakilty, County Cork.
“Saturday, as we were watching the rugby in Wards of Inver pub, Ann MeGee, who lives in Omagh but has a family holiday house nearby gave us dinner and a bed for the night.
“On Sunday, we arrived bedraggled from hours in the rain in Killybegs and the Bay View Hotel kindly gave us dinner and a bed for the night. Their service and generosity has been exemplary.”
Rachel and Simon – Two Hearts & Four Feet – Just a Little Run Around Ireland…
This is Rachel’s first long-distance run, while Simon has undertaken a similar challenge in 2017 when he completed a 5,000+ mile run around Britain and raised nearly £26,000 in aid of Ecologia Youth Trust’s work. The charity works with vulnerable youngsters facing their own tough challenges in Kenya, Uganda, Russia, and Scotland.
The public can follow Simon and Rachel’s adventure at www.ecologia.org.uk/run-around-ireland.
Updates, videos, and photos are available on Simon’s blog, www.facebook.com/remembersimon or on Twitter @2hearts4feet.
If you wish to donate to the fundraiser visit Gofundme.com/2-hearts-4-feet-run-around-ireland.
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