Mayo postman takes on 320km Croagh Patrick to Slieve Patrick cycling challenge

A Westport postman and member of Western Lakes CC is set to take on a gruelling 320km solo cycling challenge from Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo to Slieve Patrick in Co. Down tomorrow (Friday, September 25).

Padraig Marrey will set off at 7am from the St Patrick statue at the foot of Croagh Patrick in Murrisk, aiming to reach the St Patrick statue at Slieve Patrick, just outside Downpatrick, before 5pm.

The challenge will see Padraig cycle across Ireland between two locations strongly associated with Ireland’s patron saint, with an ambitious target of completing the 320km route in under 10 hours.

To achieve that, he will need to maintain an average speed of approximately 32km/h for the entire journey.

However, the challenge is about more than the time. Padraig is raising funds for Cancer Fund for Children, with all money raised going towards helping open the doors of Daisy Lodge in Cong.

Daisy Lodge provides children affected by cancer and their families with an opportunity to spend time together away from hospitals and the pressures of treatment.

Padraig was inspired to take on the fundraiser through two cycling friends, Tom Bourke and Bryan Hyland, who will undertake their own major endurance challenge in December when they attempt the 3,000-mile World’s Toughest Row across the Atlantic in aid of the same cause.

“The lads are going to spend weeks on the water rowing as hard as they can, so I thought I’d help their fundraising by pedalling as hard as I can from one coast of Ireland to the other,” Padraig said. “Every cent goes towards opening the doors of Daisy Lodge in Cong. We appreciate every penny.”

The challenge will be a true solo effort, with no teammates to share the workload and no rider to take turns at the front.

Along with maintaining the required pace, Padraig will have to contend with terrain, traffic, weather, hydration and nutrition over the course of the long-distance ride.

The challenge also represents a return to point-to-point cycling for Padraig. Twenty years ago, he set a point-to-point record from Mizen Head to Fair Head, completing the longest point-to-point route in Ireland in 17 hours and 49 minutes. That record still stands.

His latest challenge aims to revive interest in the traditional point-to-point format while raising funds for a cause supporting children with cancer and their families.

Donations to Padraig’s Daisy Lodge fundraiser can be made on the Daisy Voyage iDonate page.