Hey all,

It's been almost a year since our Zoosh Digital team with friends, Ben Adams of Charles Faram in the UK and Paul Courtney, took on the twists, turns and hills of the 211km Ultrabalaton ultra marathon around Central Europe's largest lake, Balaton in Hungary.

This year we’ll do it all over again. Our participating friends of Zoosh Digital will be composed of the familiar face, Paul Courtney, along with first timers David McCormack of ORS in Mullingar and Joe Howard of Howard Farms & Miljo acclaim, alongside Mervyn’s childhood bestie, John “Harry” Phelan.

Last year, we managed to raise money in aid of St. Christopher’s Special school in Longford, Killoe Community Football Club for Kids and Alzheimer’s Ireland. Knowing that these charities would benefit, even a little, offered some additional motivation to all the runners at last year’s event.

Our ambition in 2026 is that our sweat (and likely tears) in April ‘26 can help more charitable causes that have impacted our own families and those of our friends and colleagues.

In 2026, we will raise money to assist the amazing team at the children’s Paediatric Diabetes Clinic at Mullingar hospital. Under Professor Michael O’Grady’s leadership, along with his amazing team, Niamh, Helena, Anne-Marie, and all the nurses, this service has literally given life to many children, including those of Zoosh Digital’s team and also to the families of our friends from ORS in Mullingar. This service has faced funding challenges in the past and while we cannot possibly expect to mitigate those challenges for the future, we can perhaps make a meaningful impact in the short term.

Additionally, we will make a charitable contribution to the special needs services offered to our community via St. Teresa’s NS, whose team go to every end to ensure that all children receive the support they need to reach their full potential. In doing this, they accommodate for a range of neurodiverse challenges that would otherwise impact the quality of life of these children on a daily basis. Principal Kevin Mollaghan and his team represent the best of us in the community.

Please support us in assisting these wonderful causes. A small contribution can make a huge difference to a child and the impact can literally last for a lifetime.

Thank you for supporting us to support others,

Mervyn and all the Zoosh Digital Ultrabalaton 2026 relay team