Firefighter's 160km jungle run in memory of his mum
A Dublin firefighter has run 160km through a Costa Rican jungle in aid of a charity that supported him in the wake of his mother's death from cancer.
Padraig Thompson completed the mammoth task in six days to raise money for CMRF Crumlin, a children's medical research charity.
Grieving
The father-of-two, from Clondalkin, was grieving the loss of his mother, Columba, when he took on the challenge.
She died in 2017, only months after Padraig's stepfather, Ollie, was killed in a road accident.
Representatives from CMRF Crumlin supported Padraig through his loss.
"Two weeks after returning from my honeymoon with my wife Emma in Lanzarote in May 2017, I lost my stepdad Ollie in a tragic road accident," he said.
"Then, 13 months later, after cancer showed its ugly face, I lost my mam to complications after a lung cancer operation.
"I was literally a broken man. Then, out of nowhere, a friend sent me a link to this challenge in Costa Rica."
Padraig previously ran the Dublin Marathon in memory of those who died in the Rescue 116 helicopter tragedy.
The 38-year-old, who is based at Dublin Fire Brigade's Tara Street Station, admitted he had "ventured into a dark place", but the fundraising challenge helped him rebuild his life.
He arrived home yesterday after completing the gruelling challenge.
Padsraig has been involved in a number of fundraising challenges over the past two years.
"I've done a lot of crazy things. Last year I ran about three marathons in one go - so 116km," he said.
His effort to raise funds can be helped at cmrf.org/event/run-a-south-pacific-jungle.