A daring Dublin firefighter has vowed to finish the Dublin marathon in his full 25kg weighty gear before doing it all again in New York in aid of children battling cancer.
Firefighter and gym owner Thom Hempsey (37) decided to run in his bulky kit, including oxygen cylinder, helmet and boots in aid of Aoibheann's Pink Tie after being asked by a client whose six-year-old daughter is currently fighting a brain tumour.
The dad of two completed the Dublin marathon in 2019, but this will be the first time he has attempted the demanding race in full garb, and he has pledged that stripping off some equipment along the way is not an option.
The former soldier began raising funds for children's charities a number of years ago after he saw the horrors of war on children during tours of Afghanistan and Somalia
"I've been training wearing different bits of equipment, running in boots, but I've only trained wearing about 15kg so far," said the native of Ballymena, Co. Antrim
"I was in the military for 10 years, serving in Afghanistan and Somalia, so I've been accustomed to moving about with a lot of gear.
"I completed the Dublin marathon in 2019 and have ran a few marathons in Northern Ireland, but this will be the first time in the uniform of the Dublin Fire Service where I've worked for the last two years
"While working in Afghanistan, I saw the horrors of war on children. They are the ones that are the most innocent as to what's going on around them and also the most affected by it. In certain instances over there, the children were used against us, that's how badly treated they were
"In one case, we had built up a rapport with the children and supplied them with water and pencils and other little things. One day, a bomb was placed in her schoolbag and when she approached us, they blew her up."
This prompted Mr Hempsey to raided funds for children's charities.
So far he has raised €20,000 for Crumlin Children's Hospital, Down Syndrome Ireland and Aoibheann's Pink Tie.
He owns three gyms in Dublin and Drogheda, and has worked with Lorraine Groves for a number of years. He said her daughter Evie is "very close to my heard in her battle with cancer".
"I like a challenge and right now everyone is going through challenging times, be it homelessness or the rising costs of living. So I had to do something beyond the norm to ask hard-pressed people to donate, and I came up with the idea of wearing the uniform.
"This gear is designed to keep fire out but also to keep body heat in, so it will be challenging to say the least to complete the marathon
"However, taking any of the kit off during the race is not an option. I'd never live it down. I'll complete the marathon with it all on no matter what. And then I'll do it all again in New York on November 6th."
Evie's mother Lorraine has no doubt that Mr Hempsey will cross the finishing line on Sunday.
"He is terrific, and he will do this for the children. He will then do it all over again in New York for Aoibheann's Pink Tie which helps families with children going through cancer all over Ireland.
"My daughter Evie was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was seven months old, so she went through chemotherapy and into remission. Unfortunately the tumour has grown again, and so she is facing more chemotherapy at the minute, but she is doing well. Aoibheann's Pink Tie's motto is fight like a child, and she is doing exactly that
"I can't describe what Aoibheann's Pink Tie has done for us as a family, even from the first day we went into St John's Ward in Crumlin. The amount of help and support they have provided in taking care of the little things and the big things.
"They put smiles on our faces that we couldn't do alone. They are an unbelievable charity that help so many in so many ways"
Co-founder of Aoibheann's Pink Tie, Jimmy Norman said "I think that Thom is incredible. To attempt to run two marathons shows amazing spirit. He has thankfully never had a child go through cancer and yet here he is, doing this for all those children who are everyday fighting cancer."
