Published: Wednesday, 14th July, 2010 5:30pm

Ballymore man completes six Sahara marathons in seven days

It's truly inspiring to hear of Bobby's amazing feat

Ballymore hero Bobby McDermott recently completed the toughest foot race on the planet, the Marathon des Sables, a gruelling 155 mile (250km) pursuit across the rocky terrain of the southern Sahara desert.

Bobby succeeded in his Trojan quest to complete six marathons in seven days in the stifling heat of northern Africa and raised much needed funds for Barnardos, the children's charity.

Bobby's target was to raise €10,000 for the children's charity but he surpassed that total and then some. Thanks to Bobby's generous supporters he has so far managed to collect a massive €18,000 for Barnardos. As well as huge donations from friends and colleagues, Bobby also held a benefit night in aid of Barnardos before the race in the Auld Shebeen, Moate, where he raised a total of €1,200.

Speaking about the generosity of his friends, family and co-workers Bobby said: "the most amazing thing to have come out of this challenge was to see the kind generosity shown by all who donated to Barnardos. I am honestly prouder to be able to say I have helped raise €18,000 to aid Barnardos and the under-privileged children in Ireland, than I am to say I have completed the Marathon des Sables.

"I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all those who donated to my Barnardos fund and also for all the kind words received before, during and after the event. It really was a huge boost to my spirits after a mentally and physically tough day running across the desert." During the seven-day slog, Bobby made his painful pursuit through soaring mid-day temperatures and freezing night-time cold and stressed that the support his friends and family showed was what got him through when things got tough: "I was given a print out of all the emails sent during the day. Those words of encouragement really kept me going when I wasn't sure if I could. I owe a huge thank you to all who took time out to email me."

Barnardos Fundraising Manager Orla Tighe said: "It's truly inspiring to hear of Bobby McDermott's amazing feat. He is a true Barnardos hero and we are so grateful that he chose Barnardos as his charity of choice. Every cent raised will go directly to fund the work we do with children and families out of our 40 projects all over Ireland."