You certainly can’t accuse this guy of lacking bottle, that’s for sure.
Barely a marathon goes by these days without a number of competitors getting dressed up in chicken suits, fireman outfits or other sorts of paraphenalia; it’s par for the course.
That said, it’s worth keeping a special eye out for one Irishman who’ll be running the distance in a rather unusual get-up at the Waterford Viking Marathon next month.
Terry Brady, from Killinkere in Cavan, will be running that marathon while wearing a bottle and not only will he be competing in the race, he’ll be going all out to finish in the top 5-10% of finishers and break a world record while he’s at it.
Last year, Buxton Water supported Paul Simons’ record-breaking attempt in the London Marathon, when he ran a time of 3 hours, 31 minutes and 57 seconds despite having to run the entire race in the uncomfortable-looking outfit you can see below.
Terry, a member of Brothers Pearse Athletic Club in south Dublin, reckons he can do it faster and having run a sub-three hour marathon in Berlin in 2014 despite only taking up running three years ago, you wouldn’t put it past him.
While the honour of holding any world record – even one as unusual as this – must hold huge appeal, Terry’s main motive for attempting such a crazy feat is a charitable one.
Terry’s godchild, Theo, who is only a year old, was born with a very rare form of deafness due to his auditory nerves fusing and is now profoundly deaf. He lives in a completely silent world.
Terry and Theo
There are only a handful of specialist surgeons worldwide who are able to implant a tiny device into the actual brainstem where hearing is processed.
An ABI (auditory brainstem implant) will, at a minimum, give him environmental noises, but with lots of therapy and hard work, it could even help him develop speech.
It is estimated that, taking into account the price of surgery and other related costs, the treatment will cost approximately €100,000.
Theo’s mother has already set-up a website and a Facebook page to try and raise money to fund the treatment, while Terry and his fiancé Alice have set up their own fundraising page that has brought in over €7,000 already.
As well as seeking a cheaper alternative to a planned four-week honeymoon in New Zealand with his fiancé Alice (Theo’s aunt), Terry is embarking on his unusual world record marathon attempt in an effort to further aid the cause.
Speaking to JOE.ie, Terry said: “Support so far has been fantastic from family, work colleagues and friends. It wasn’t easy to find a sponsor but when Matt and Chris (owners of Orpens Irish cider) heard what I was doing they committed their support immediately.”
You can find more information about Theo’s story on the website and Facebook pages and donate to the cause if you wish.
Anyone attending the Cork marathon this Monday (June 1), meanwhile, should keep an eye out for Terry giving the bottle a trial run in a half-marathon before the big day in Waterford on June 27.
We wish him all the best.
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