Galway man and Director of Arcana, Johnny Donnelly has completed his 47th marathon in less than two years, fininshing in a remarkable third place in the Inca Trail Marathon in Peru.

The ex-Saw Doctor first began his Run Johnny Run challenge in 2008 to run over 2000 miles around the world in four years to raise money for Irish charity Seachange Foundation, an Irish based non-profit organisation. He has raised over €300,000 to date for Seachange projects, including recent restorative efforts in Haiti.

A marathon not for the faint hearted, Donnelly scaled the dizzying heights of up to 13,779 feet over a period of 10 days despite breathing difficulties due to altitude.

The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 27.5-mile marathon follows the original pilgrimage trail that leads into the religious capital of the Inca Empire, the legendary “Lost city of the Incas” – Machu Picchu. The run is strenuous over mountain terrain at altitudes ranging from 8,000 to 13,779 feet.

Donnelly will continue his campaign until December 2012 on behalf of Seachange whose objective is to raise funds and generate awareness for Microcredit projects to support the world’s poorest.

“I am estactic to have finished the Inca Trail in third place, it was an extremely tough marathon and although it was difficult to breathe at times, I really enjoyed the challenge, the people and taking in the breathtaking landscape,” he said after completing the epic test of stamina.

Johnny is appealing to runners, joggers or walkers to join him in the Dublin Marathon to raise money for this worthy cause. To join the team visit http://www.runjohnnyrun.ie.

Keep up to date with Johnny’s blogs as he continues his marathon challenge around the world at http://www.runjohnnyrun.ie/runjohnnyrun/diary.php or Facebook page Johnny Donnelly. For futher information on Seachange visit www.seachange.ie
 

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.