Injury forces Stephen to pull out of barefoot run

Good wishes and a speedy recovery are being extended to a Maudabawn man forced to abandon his 400km barefoot run due to injury.

Brave hearted Stephen Reyburn had to pull out of the charity run in aid of Pieta House having completed 100km of the mammoth challenge.

Commencing on Christmas Day morning, Stephen had hoped to run from Letterkenny to Killarney to raise funds for the suicide awareness and prevention charity.

The storm was driving into his face on the first night. By the time he reached Sligo at around 3pm on St Stephen's Day, the skin was torn off his feet and they were bleeding. He had also developed a complication in the chest, including pains, known as Rhabdomyolysis - a breakdown of muscle in the body.

Despite pulling up, Stephen is within reach of his target of raising €10,000 for Pieta House.

“I am very humbled by the support I have received,” a disappointed Stephen told the Celt from Cavan General Hospital.

People came out in towns and villages along the way and this gave him great heart but Stephen says that the decision to withdrawn from the race was made to ensure that his condition did not deteriorate any further.

He was taken by his support team to Cavan General Hospital, where his condition was treated and his feet were also attended to immediately. “The staff in the hospital here have been brilliant and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them,” he said.

“I was getting a great response along the way and was being clapped through towns. I had young people coming up to me and sharing their mental health stories and suicide attempts. I ran from 9am till 10pm on Christmas day and hit the road again at 9am the next morning,” said Stephen.

“I’m on the mend. My feet had no skin on the soles of them at all but I expected that to happen,” he added.

Stephen said his attempt has already caught the imagination of the nation and the issues surrounding mental health in this country.

He is determined to try to undertake the challenge in again the summer time, when hopefully weather conditions will be better.

Stephen was also contacted by Enda O’Doherty, the man who walked around Ireland in his bare feet with a washing machine on his back. “He rang me when I was being admitted to Cavan General and promised to support me in my next attempt and that lifted my spirits,” he said.

Stephen, who will be wheelchair bound for a few weeks until the soles of his feet heal properly, has also been offered support for his future attempt by nutritionists and motivational speakers.

To donate, log on to: www.feelgoodwithpieta.ie/fundraisers/stephenreburn/stephens-no-soc-run-forsuicide