Derry family set to complete run to Dublin's Aviva Stadium raising awareness about mental health and suicide

A Derry family is set to complete the final mile of their run from the Maiden City to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to raise awareness about mental health and suicide.

Tony Edgar, son TJ, and brothers John, James, and Michael will begin their final mile at 1pm today to finish on the 10th of September, which is World Suicide Prevention Day. 

The family set off on Saturday, September 7 at 12:01 am, and Tony is pleased they have managed to achieve their goal of raising awareness.

He said: “We have done this for Jack, yes, but the minute silence is for everyone that has lost someone through suicide.

“We would love a minutes silence for every match in Europe as it is world suicide prevention day, so next year we hope that by laying the foundations with this that there will be a minutes silence for this day.

“We were always going to leave the last mile to Tuesday anyway, as that was the whole point of the run, to complete it on World Suicide Prevention Day, which is today.”

Jack Edgar lost his life to suicide on the 27th of December 2022, the worst day of the family’s life, according to Sabrina. 

As Tony sat in the Aviva on September 10 in 2023, watching Ireland suffer defeat to the Netherlands on World Suicide Prevention Day, he questioned why nothing was being done to commemorate all those that had lost someone to suicide. 

He said: “This idea started in my head. Then just after Christmas I went to the Irish supporters club in Derry because we are in that club, as was Jack. We went to the home matches with Jack.

“We asked them to ask the FAI for a minute's silence for the Greece match specifically, and I told them I would run to the Aviva for it. 

“We never got our minute's silence because UEFA turned it down, but that is ok, but we still decided to do the run.”

Tony, son TJ, brothers John, James, and Michael are set to complete the 138-mile run to the Aviva today, and he couldn’t be more proud of his family’s efforts. 

He said: “I’m buzzing for my son TJ completing this; I have seen him grow a bit. And we have got the awareness out there, so that is the most important thing. 

“It wouldn’t have been completed without John, James, Michael, and TJ, as my body wouldn’t have been up to it. My hip and knee aren’t what they used to be, but that is the way it is.”

The family completed the majority of the run in about 28 hours, and once the final mile is completed, they can prepare to settle in to watch the second match of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s tenure as Republic of Ireland boss as they take on Greece in the Nations League. 

Tony said: “We have tickets; we will all be at the match; my mother and father will be coming down, and we are all going to the match.”