Derry man to complete World Marathon Majors for Foyle Hospice

A Derry man who has run 88 marathons in 41 years will complete the last of the six major world marathons this week, all to raise funds for Foyle Hospice.  

Dessie McShane, 57, will set off in aid of Foyle Hospice in Tokyo this Sunday, March 5, where he will earn the coveted Six Star Medal by completing the last of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series.

The series consists of six of the largest and most well-known marathons in the world; the Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon, BMW Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon.

Dessie said he began running when he was 16-years-old. He ran his first marathon aged 17 and hasn’t stopped running since.

“The main reason I run is because it makes you feel good and keeps you fit,” he said.

“The six major marathons are New York, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, London and Tokyo and I will be running in Tokyo on March 5.

“I ran Boston 12 times, I ran London 17 times and Berlin twice, I ran Chicago once last October and I ran New York five time- I’ve been around.”

Dessie has also run marathons throughout Ireland, including the Walled City Marathon in his hometown of Derry as well as the Dublin and Belfast marathons. 

He has also attended numerous events in England and has run marathons in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Dessie said he runs to raise funds for Foyle Hospice and hopes that people will support him in completing this global challenge by making a donation.

“I started raising money for Foyle Hospice because it’s local and it does so much for the people here in the North West,” he said.

“It’s a good cause, it’s really needed and they care for the people of this city and the North West. Foyle Hospice needs the funding and it feels good to know that I can help in some way.”

If you would like to make a donation in support of Dessie’s marathon effort, please visit www.foylehospice.com/donate