Whether you want to run, power walk, or stroll, it is the participation that counts and with the ‘Run for Mark in the Dark’ event coming up you will get your chance to get out and about and do your bit for a very worthy cause.
The ‘Run for Mark in the Dark’, organised by the Mark Pollock Trust, is a fundraising run which will be taking place on November 16 at 7.30pm simultaneously in four different locations - Galway, Belfast, Dublin, and Cork - and range from between 4km and 10km (distances vary depending on the location ). Those who are not quite at the running stage but who still wish to participate need not worry as there is a walking option.
The event is the first official event organised by the Mark Pollock Trust which aims to raise enough funds to help Mark Pollock rebuild his life and to start training and rehabilitation. A truly inspiring individual, Mark Pollock lost his sight at the age of 22, however, he never let that hold him back and went on to compete in the world’s harshest environments - across deserts, mountain, ocean, and polar regions - including six marathons in seven days in the Gobi Desert, a race to the South Pole, and the Round Ireland yacht race. Mark accomplished all this despite being blind and he made his living as as motivational speaker around the globe, aiming to inspire people to think about how to face challenges and make decisions.
However, having overcome his blindness tradegy struck again on July 2, 2010, when Mark fell from a second storey window, fracturing his skull, some ribs, and breaking his back in a number of places leaving him completely paralysed from the waist down. The past year has been incredibly difficult but Mark, who was in hospital for 15 months, is as determined as ever to get his life on track. Having just been released from hospital Mark has done a lot of research to find out what he can do to overcome his physical problems and is now following a programme of aggressive physical therapy in an attempt to regain any feeling or movement that he can.
To help Mark in his endeavour the Mark Pollock Trust was set up by friends and supporters in order to raise funds for this rehabilitation programme, which will involve a daily aggressive physical therapy programme lasting up to three hours per session, input from physical trainers and physiotherapists and repeat visits to a spinal injuries recovery facility in America called Project Walk.
The cost of the ‘Run for Mark in the Dark’ event is €25 per person. To find out more about the individual events, route maps, and to register online, go to www.run4mark.com
