My name is Daniel Hoare, and this year I’m taking on the biggest challenge of my life — a 100-mile ultramarathon in August, followed just 7 weeks later by Ironman Barcelona — to honour my dad, who passed away suddenly in October 2024 from an aortic dissection.

He had no underlying health conditions. No signs. No warning. One moment he was here — the next, he was gone.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever faced, and it still is — every single day.

Since that day, I’ve been carrying the weight of grief — but I’ve decided to turn that weight into purpose. These two events will push me to my absolute limits… but if I’m going to suffer, I want it to mean something.

This will be:

• My first ever 100-mile run

• My first triathlon

• And my first Ironman

All within the space of just seven weeks.

The 100-miler will be the most brutal physical and mental test of my life — running through the day, the night, and well beyond the point of exhaustion. The Ironman will be another mountain to climb… but I’ll be taking it on with the weight of 100 miles still in my legs.

I’m doing this to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation, to help fund life-saving research, education, and support for families affected by heart disease and sudden cardiac events.

If my legs can carry me 100 miles, and my heart can get me through an Ironman — maybe together, we can carry someone else through their worst day too.

Please donate whatever you can — even €5 makes a difference.

Every cent goes directly to the Irish Heart Foundation.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping me honour my dad in the most powerful way I know how.

– Daniel Hoare