By Michelle Crean

One man is taking on a monumental task of running 320kms - just shy of eight marathons - from Dublin to Kerry - as a thank you to medical teams who helped his young daughter.

Ballyhar man Dermot Dineen (44), who is a well-known painter and decorator was so overwhelmed with the excellent care his young daughter Hazel received in Crumlin Hospital that he has vowed to take on the colossal task this coming May.

Little Hazel was just six years of age when she became very ill with ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disease, two years ago.

And after losing a huge amount of weight followed by countless trips to University Hospital Kerry she was transferred to Crumlin Children's Hospital to investigate further where she eventually received the devastating diagnosis.

According to Dermot, the run - which could take up to four days to complete - is to help fund research teams via the Children’s Health Foundation Crumlin such as the one which developed the medication which eventually helped his daughter's condition.

"She lost a stone and a half and her colon was inflamed," he told the Killarney Advertiser.

"Her lung collapsed as well and she was in constant pain. They sent her home and within four or five weeks she got another flair up, and again three weeks later. She got home and we thought everything was hunky dory and she flared up again. They told us her colon might have to be taken out and given a bag. Two weeks later they gave her a new drug and touch wood she's OK now."

The new drug was developed by the research team in Crumlin and Dermot then vowed at the time to give something back.

A track runner with Farranfore Maine Athletic Club, he decided to take on the enormous task of running from the city back to his home.

"Research costs money for all these drugs so I said I'm definitely going to do this for them. Only for COVID I would have done it last year. It didn't sit well with me doing nothing."

He has been running six days a week in preparation with support from ultra runner and Killarney man Kevin Leahy, Adrian McCarthy from Grandview Media and former Kerry footballer Aidan O'Mahony.

"It’ll be 320kms, just shy of eight marathons, as I can’t run motorways so it’ll be down the canal tow paths and then back roads."

He'll have a support camper van alongside him where he can take a quick rest and a bite to eat. He's hoping to complete the journey within four days.

To date he has raised €6,589 on his Just Giving page: 'Crumlin to Kerry - My Dad's Journey (on foot!)'. He's hoping to do a bucket collection on the last stretch home during the run and in shops locally in the coming weeks.