Craigavon runner Darren Mallon clocks up 213 miles for NI Chest, Heart and Stroke – and he isn’t finished yet

Darren Mallon ran the Dublin, London, and Belfast Marathons to raise vital funds for Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS).

Those felt like a walk in the park, however, when Darren took on an ultra-running challenge for the charity over two days in June - the Norn Iron Ultra. This is a gruelling 106.9-mile ultra-run along the north Antrim coast, running from Ballintoy to Gortin in Co Tyrone.

Darren has been running in memory of his father, Michael, who sadly passed away suddenly from a heart attack.

Darren said; “My father died of a sudden and unexpected heart attack two years ago. He had always seemed fit and healthy, working hard in his job as a joiner. I never even remember him having a cold or flu. That’s why everyone was so shocked when he passed away and it has been such a tremendous loss to our family.”

After his father passed away, Darren wanted to do something to raise funds and awareness for NICHS, to help other local people affected by cardiac conditions.

He said: “I took up running about four years ago. I had quit playing football and was starting to get unfit and into a rut of not doing much exercise. I started with a half marathon and my love of running just grew. When I decided I wanted to do something to support NICHS, a running challenge was the natural choice.

"I started by signing up for the Dublin Marathon. It was when I was training for this that I came across the Norn Iron Ultra challenge and decided to sign up. I completed the Dublin Marathon, took two weeks off and then started my seven-month ultra-run training plan in mid-November, which consisted of the London and Belfast Marathons.”

Darren decided he wanted to make this fundraising challenge even bigger, by running from his home in Craigavon to Belfast before the race even started.

"This was another level from the marathons I had taken part in previously. It was tougher mentally because I couldn’t run the actual marathon at my normal pace as I’d already completed such a big distance. It was hard going at a slower pace. We left Craigavon at 1.30am on the morning of the marathon and running overnight in the dark was tough. The three of us bounced off each other though and we did it.”

Next on Darren’s challenge list came the Norn Iron Ultra which saw around 50 participants attempt to take on a challenge that most people would consider unthinkable - running 106.9 miles, non-stop. It was made even tougher by hot, sunny weather.

Darren said: “I started the run at Ballintoy at around 8am on the Saturday and that was me until I got to Gortin early on the Sunday afternoon. There were two stops of 30 minutes allowed, the first at Articlave after 34 miles, the second at Dungiven after 72 miles but I ran continuously, no sleep, nothing.

"The previous marathons were great training exercises but the new element with this challenge was the terrain which was really tough. The first part wasn’t too bad as it was along the north Coast, but the second and third parts were brutal in places.

"The weather was also an unforeseen extra challenge. The heat on the Sunday was unbearable - at 9am it was 23 degrees. At that stage I still had the last mountain to do - the sun was on my back and I just didn't think there was any end to that mountain, it was completely draining. After I made it over the mountain I still had a marathon to go to finish the race!

"My wife Leanne put updates on social media during the race. I was getting notifications on my phone to say my Just Giving page had got a new donation, or a lovely message from someone came through. Those really helped give me a boost.

"My family were also amazing. My wife Leeann was there the whole time as she crewed me with food, water, and clothes. My family, including my mum, sons, daughter, and little granddaughter Ivy drove up to see me finish the race. I just so wanted to get to that finish line, and I did it in 30 hours 30 minutes. The emotion of getting over the line was just brilliant and to see everyone waiting for me was very special. I was absolutely wrecked but it was a great feeling at the same.”

Darren’s fundraising efforts for NICHS have seen him raise over £3,000 for the charity so far. He said: “The work NICHS does in local communities is fantastic and I am delighted to have raised so much for them.”

Darren is now thinking about what his next challenge might involve.

“Doing all these running challenges has shown me what your body and your mind can do if you set a goal. Four years ago I was struggling to do my first half marathon. I never thought I’d do something like this but look at me! You really can achieve anything you set your mind to, and I want to see what else I can do,” he said.

Tara Currie, NICHS events and marketing manager said: “We are very thankful to Darren for taking on these amazing challenges in support of us. His effort and dedication is nothing short of phenomenal.

"Today, there are up to 470,000 people living with a chest, heart or stroke condition in Northern Ireland - that's one in three of the population. Almost 90% of our care and prevention services and research are funded exclusively by public donations. Fundraising efforts like Darren’s are vital in enabling us to continue to support the local community and provide life-changing services.”

To find out how you can support NICHS go to www.nichs.org.uk/how-you-can-help