Danny Quigley is a man well-known in his city for completing epic fundraising challenges but he very nearly didn’t attempt one this year
Danny Quigley has headed to the Sahara Desert for his latest fundraising challenge, where the 34-year-old man from Derry/Londonderry hopes to complete 200 miles (321 km) in stifling heat. He has set up a course near the village of Merzouga, in Morocco, where he will run laps of a loop that will be between five-to-ten miles long — as he steadily works towards his goal.
And it is all for a good cause with the money raised going to The Lighthouse Project and Foyle Search and Rescue.
But, despite successfully completing several previous fundraising efforts, the Derry man almost didn’t make it to the latest hurdle after something profound happened earlier this year. Danny’s car hit black ice while driving in January and violently crashed. The vehicle was written off, and after Danny pried open the passenger door of the upturned vehicle with a metal water bottle — he realised he was lucky to be alive.
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Danny said: “The car flipped, it went through a tree and landed in a ditch sideways, ten feet below. After I lost control of the car on the black ice, I closed my eyes and I thought that was it. “The car landed on another tree and my life flashed in front of me, and I thought to myself that I’ve had a good life.
“Who knows, that could have been me done.”
Mental health advocate Danny hadn’t expected to complete a fundraising challenge in 2025, but walking away from the crash in one-piece spurred him on.
He lost his dad Colm, to suicide in 2011 and over the last few years has campaigned extensively for suicide prevention and to raise awareness on the issue. Danny and his father had started doing triathlons together a few months before Colm’s death. Since then, Danny has successfully undertaken several impressive challenges as he continues building on the athleticism his father instilled in him.
In 2021, Danny completed ten ironmen events in ten days where he raised over £100k. A “Celebration of Life” swim followed in 2023 which saw the athlete traverse the entire River Foyle, then Lough Foyle and the North Channel — over 120km, all in a mammoth effort to support suicide prevention.
The swimming event collected over £30k and saw families nominate loved ones who have died from suicide. He swam a km for each nominated person and the journey took him about a week to complete.
Danny said he hadn’t planned on doing an event this year but the crash got him reflecting on his life and the idea for his run in the Sahara was soon born. The man, who turns 35 next month said he wanted to do something he would find especially hard, in a bid to inspire others.
He added: “I wanted to do something extreme in tough conditions, and running has been difficult for me. The run is the most demanding on the body in triathlon events so I purposely picked something that is going to be hard. It might be something I might not complete but I want to give it a strong go. I want to get into the zone where I can put my mind to do something that is not easy.
“I want people to see that though I am going through difficulty, I can show something positive. 200 miles in the desert will be brutal but if it gets one person talking, it will be worth it.
“I’ve been trying to keep the miles up, I have been getting up to forty miles here. I got a bit of a calf injury about six weeks ago and that set me back. I haven’t done as much as I have wanted but I have done as much as I can. I’m hoping this fundraising makes an impact to others lives and will encourage people to reach out for help and start conversations.
“There have been loads of local businesses who have helped me out, too many to name. But the community has gotten behind me and they always do. It is a great help and it motivates me. The goal is to stay smart and perform as efficiently as I can, the plan is to run loops from my base, restock and refuel.”
There is no specific time limit for the endeavour but Danny stated that he wants to do it as fast as he can and has about five days to complete the challenge successfully.
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Ruairí McHugh met with Danny Quigley on Thursday to extend his best wishes to the endurance athlete before he embarked on his extraordinary, new challenge.
Speaking ahead of the challenge, the Mayor said: “Danny continues to inspire so many people in our city and district through his incredible resilience and commitment to helping others. His work with The Lighthouse Project is making a real and lasting difference — giving hope, confidence and practical tools to those who need it most.”
The Lighthouse Project is an initiative focused on early intervention, physical activity, and community support. Since the project began it has been successful in facilitating a number of support services including over 16,000 people being able to access its database in search of local help and support, facilitating more than 500 counselling sessions that have been funded within the local community.
Over 700 children and adults have joined sporting programmes improving their mental and physical wellbeing, while over 200 teenagers have gained OCN Level Two mental health training.
The mayor added: “I want to wish him every success as he takes on this monumental test of endurance in one of the toughest environments on earth. Danny’s journey reminds us all that no one should ever feel alone and that, together, we can shine a light on the importance of mental health and suicide prevention.”
Anyone interested in contributing, can do so here: https://gofund.me/bd705518
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