Greencastle brothers inspired to run London Marathon by father’s cancer battle

Two Greencastle brothers have set their sights on raising funds for the Foyle Hospice by running the London Marathon in April to show gratitude for the help their father has received during a ten-year battle with cancer.

Andrew and Daniel Dolan have taken up the challenge after helping to raise more than €3,500 for the Irish Cancer Society by running last year’s Belfast Marathon as part of a relay team with their father Raymond, sister Caroline and her boyfriend Seamus Doherty. 

The choice of the Irish Cancer Society as the recipient of the fundraising was due to Raymond’s decade-long battle with cancer.

Andrew, who lives in Germany, also ran the Berlin and Boston marathons last year and is aiming to complete the London and Chicago courses this year before completing the six major marathons by doing the New York City and Tokyo events next year. Daniel, who lives in Greencastle,  is running his first marathon.

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Raymond is a keen runner and said Daniel and Andrew inherited their interest in running from him. His battle with cancer has seen him receive treatment in hospitals in Letterkenny, Galway, Sligo and Dublin. 

“It has been at the forefront of the family and they just thought because of me they wanted to give something back because I have been so well looked after by the HSE,” he said.

“I started treatment for cancer in January 2014 and it has lasted more or less constantly since then. I am in remission at the moment. They tell me it will come back and the options are running out, but hopefully the remission will last as long as possible.”

Raymond still runs 26km a week and has found running a great help during his treatment. His relationship with running began following a new year’s resolution in 1989 to stop drinking and to take up the sport.

 “I did a Dry January 1990 and ever since then I have been running and I never went back on the drink. I have been running now for 34 years and it gets to the stage that I cannot not run because it is so ingrained in me.”

The brothers are aiming to raise £5,000 for the Foyle Hospice and donations can be made here.