Tom and Lillian's 1,700 running journey begins in Derry City

Tom Reynolds of Louth and Lillian Deegan of Wicklow are running for 30 consecutive days to raise money for Pieta House, a centre for preventing suicide and self harm, and the charity, Billy’s World, Ireland.

They started in Derry on Saturday and were running through Donegal yesterday.

“Derry was a good location for us to start,” said Tom, “especially with the issues that the city has had with suicide.

“We hope to average around 60 miles per day. Thankfully we have a great team behind us. It will probably take a few days for us to settle into the running.

“So far the blisters haven’t been too bad, just the one, we are doing ok. The people in Derry and Donegal have been so friendly to us.

“This is going to be a huge undertaking for both of us, but we’re excited to face the challenge.”

Tom and Lillian are running friends who have become ultra running enthusiasts. They will be documenting their progress through Open Tracking.

The pair have assembled a crew of volunteers to meet them every 5-6 miles with food, water and other supplies or to provide accommodation.

You can donate at https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/wild-atlantic-route-war-pieta-house or https://www.gofundme.com/2f9839gYou can follow the duo’s progress on http://live.opentracking.co.uk/wildatlanticroute/