Declan, Connor, Aidan and Steven Ormsby who are running 10 half marathons between 15th March and 22nd August in aid of the Chest, Heart and Stroke charity
FOUR BROTHERS from Irvinestown are set to take on an ambitious challenge as they aim to run ten half marathons in memory of their uncle who died earlier this year.
In total, the brothers will cover an exhausting 524 miles.
Aidan Ormsby, 39 and his three brothers, Conor, 40, Declan, 38 and 37-year-old Steven are taking part in the running challenge to raise money for the Chest, Heart and Stroke Foundation after their father survived a massive stroke some 30 years ago.
To date, the siblings have ran three half marathons and aim to complete the challenge by August.
Aidan, a senior manager at the ARC Healthy Living Centre, explained how family life changed when his father suffered from a stroke and his subsequent 30 year battle to overcome the challenges.
“We got a lot of support from our community and from our neighbouring parishes after Dad’s stroke so we wanted to raise money to add to the services that are already available,” he explained.
“It was more in the early stages when my father was ill that we got support and we are lucky as a family to come out the other side of that and my father has managed to survive these 30 years.
“He lost power of his right arm and partial paralysis of his right leg, and speech and memory but he’s a very resilient character and his own sense of determination and we are a fairly tight family unit.
“I also had a an uncle, Francie Jackson from Tempo, who died in January this year.
“We want to run in his memory. And my wife’s uncle, also a young man in his 60s, had a triple bypass operation. With all those guys as well as others who we know who have difficulty with their hearts and stroke conditions, it’s a big challenge in a six month period and some of us are hoping to do the Dublin marathon in October.”
The siblings, who are no strangers to marathon challenges, are also planning to host a number of other fundraising events.
Aidan explained that the tough training schedule helps the family maintain a healthy lifestyle.
“This is an endurance challenge and it’s something we want to do to test ourselves and we have Chest, Heart and Stroke fundraising packs and sponsorship forms.
“Stroke and heart conditions are unfortunately something that is prevalent here and doesn’t discriminate anyone so a lot of people could avail of these services. It’s doesn’t matter how big or small the contribution is, it’s all going to a good cause.”
The four runners are now due to run Newry, Lisburn, Ards, Dervock, Cookstown, Groomsport and Dambusters, Silent Valley.
You can sponsor them by visiting their Just Giving Page, STEVEN-ORMSBY1.
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