A team led by a local fitness expert aims to raise €100,000 for charity by taking part in a world famous adventure challenge mud race in Co Kildare on Sunday.
Pat Divilly, from freeport in Barna, decided to put a team forward for the Tough Mudder event which will take place in Punchestown Racecourse, Naas.
An ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland he and his 533 person team have raised €65,000 so far.
He hopes to reach his €100,000 goal by Sunday. Fifty per cent of the money raised will go the CF unit at University Hospital Galway while the remainder will given to the CF Ireland.
Mr Divilly (26 ), who holds a masters degree in exercise and nutrition, is a well known trainer and nutrition advisor. He worked and studied in England and Dublin before returning to Barna two years ago. He divides his time between running his fitness centre in the village, writing books on the subject, conducting seminars and appearing on television.
He says the mud challenge is described as the ultimate test of physical strength and mental toughness.
“I have a team of 533 from all over the country taking part in the event - there are 1,500 altogether participating. Last year I brought 19 of my clients to Edinburgh to do it.”
The response to his fundraiser is very positive, he says, and he is confident of meeting his goal by the weekend. “We will leave from the Cathedral at 5am on Sunday and will be back at 5pm. We would love if the public came out and supported us.”
Mr Divilly, who has 105,000 followers on Facebook, started his fitness business by running classes at Silverstrand beach in 2012.
“The first day I had five people but within three months I had 100,” says the author whose health and fitness book entitled 21 Day Jump Start topped the bestseller list and his second book Naked Paleo - Food Stripped Bare is out on October 20. “I later opened a fitness centre which is up beside the Twelve Hotel. I wanted to expand so I wrote a book. I’ve done 120 seminars around the country so far this year. I speak about fitness and nutrition and a lot of mental health matters.”
The personal trainer and wellness coach who has been featured on the Today Show on RTE television and will guest on Ireland AM on TV3 in three weeks time, was asked to become an ambassador for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland in March. He decided to raise funds for the organisation and set up a committee to help organise a team for the Tough Mudder challenge.
With an impressive host of accolades behind him - he won Galway’s Best Young Entrepreneur and Best Established Entrepreneur titles recently as well as clinching the Best of Galway, Best in Health and Beauty and Best Overall Business honours as well - he set about the challenge with enthusiasm.
Anyone interested in donating to Pat Divilly’s CF fundraiser can send cheques, made out to Galway Hospital Project PDF for CF, and forward them to him at Freeport, Barna.
