What is the Challenge?
1 Mile, Every Hour, for 24 hours is the challenge that Graham will endure on Tuesday the 3rd of August.
We are backing Graham in this very personal challenge as he marks the anniversary of his first heart attack which happened at the age of just 21, when he was in great physical shape on a sports scholarship in the states.
One of our team mates Ruarcan will also join in on this challenge in support of Graham. You can also support Graham by donating to the charity that has helped him over the last 7 years, The Irish Heart Foundation. You can donate directly using this link.
Who?
Graham is one of our Team Mates here at Decathlon Baile Munna, he is the City Sports Leader of our Running Department and naturally he is a runner himself. Since his heart attack, he has continued running for a number of reasons including his heart health. He has previously taken part in challenges like the 4km every 4 hours for 48 hours for fundraising purposes and this is a challenge that he expects will be more difficult, in terms of lack of sleep and insufficient time for eating/digestion to name a few.
Graham's Story:
On August 3rd, 2013 I was in Chicago with some of my friends. We were out having dinner and I started to feel like there was something wrong. I started to feel a bit dizzy and weak. I was quite sunburnt and dehydrated at the time so me and my friends put how I was feeling down to that. I tried to drink some water and then go out and get some fresh air but I only started to feel worse. After a few minutes of progressively feeling worse my friend asked me if he should call an ambulance, normally in this situation I think Irish people would always tend to say no and that they are fine but something felt off so I said yes. I then started to feel worse and my chest started to feel like a truck was driving over it. Within 5 minutes of all this me and my friends were in the back of an ambulance being rushed to the hospital. Thankfully the ambulance responded very quickly and the hospital was close by so what was already a bad situation could have been a lot worse.
At the time of this incident I was 21 years of age and the fittest I have ever been in my life. At the time I was a long distance runner who was training everyday, eating all the right foods and doing everything they tell you helps to avoid cardiac problems. While in the hospital in the cardiac wing there was a screen in the reception showing the age of all the patients there. I was 21 and all of the other ages there was, 77, 84, 88 and 82. This incident was a huge wake up call for me and a lot of people I know as it really highlighted that cardiac problems don't just happen to older people or overweight people, that they really can happen to anyone.
How can you support Graham?
As above, donations can be made directly to the Irish Heart Foundation, but should you wish to support Graham and further follow his challenge, we will also be showcasing the challenge on our Instagram & Facebook stories. And of course, be sure to comment and message in all of your supportive messages to keep Graham motivated across the 24 hours!
