“Watching my mum fight cancer like she did will give me all the motivation to get this challenge done.”
A man is running from the southeast coast of England to his mum’s childhood home in West Belfast to mark the tenth anniversary of her death. Conor Bird’s mum, Barbara, passed away on November 2, 2015, after her battle with lymphatic cancer.
Inspired by the long-distance running challenge across Africa last year undertaken Russ Cook, also known as Hardest Geezer, Conor wanted to take on his own challenge to raise funds for the hospice that cared for his mum. The 33-year-old runs in his spare time and decided to take on the over 300 mile journey from Margate to his mum’s childhood home in Andersonstown.
To make the challenge even more special, Conor’s eight-year-old daughter, Elsie, who is a keen runner herself, will be finishing the run with him taking on the last 10km from Belfast to Gransha Drive.
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Speaking to Belfast Live about the challenge, Ramsgate man Conor said: “A lot of inspiration came from Hardest Geezer when he ran Africa a couple of years ago, I wanted to give something big like that a go. I was looking for long routes I could do, and this route seemed fitting for the challenge.
“This is going to be no easy feat as I’m not an athlete and I’m a full time dad, husband and plumber. But watching my mum fight cancer like she did will give me all the motivation to get this challenge done.
“It means a lot to be able to fundraise for the Pilgrims Hospice Margate, who cared for my mum. I don’t get back to Belfast as much as I wish I could, it’ll be great to go back and see all the family, and my kids are coming out as well to the finish which is nice.
“My daughter and son, they’re eight and four now, so I think my daughter would understand this is nanny Barbara’s house and where she grew up. It will definitely be a nice moment.
“My daughter is actually starting and finishing the run with me. She’s doing the first three to 5km with me, then she’s gonna do the last bit of the last day with me which will be really nice, I’m looking forward to it.”
Conor will be starting his challenge on October 22, taking on around 30 miles a day for 12 days on the journey to Liverpool, before the ferry across the Irish Sea. He’ll then take on a 30 mile loop from Belfast to Lisburn, then onto Bangor, before the last stretch into West Belfast.
So far, he has raised over £3,600 for the hospice that cared for his mum. As well as wanting to raise vital funds for their services, Conor is hoping spreading awareness of hospice care can help other families in need.
“The closer it gets the more the nerves creep in, but I’m excited, I just want to get going now,” he said.
“I’ve been blown away by the support, any donation for Pilgrims Hospice is welcomed as it’s such a worthy cause. Even just to raise awareness that these places exist for everyone, and they really do unbelieveable things at the worst time in people’s lives. They make the process easier for families and inidividuals.”
You can donate to Conor’s fundraiser by clicking here, and follow his journey from Margate to Belfast here.
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