For My Dad - Roy — Dublin Marathon 2026 My Dad Roy Mann was many things. A son. A brother A husband. A father. A grandfather. A runner. He ran the Comrades Marathon nine times. For those who don't know, the Comrades is one of the greatest ultramarathons in the world — 89km through the hills of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It is brutal and beautiful and my Dad did it nine times. Alzheimer's took him in 2016. Slowly, cruelly, and completely. He never got to run his 10th. On October 25th 2026 I am running the Irish Life Dublin Marathon in his memory and in aid of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. It is my first ever marathon. I am terrified and excited and determined. Every kilometre of those 42.2km through the streets of Dublin will be for Dad. For the man who showed me that hard things are worth doing. That when your legs hurt and your lungs burn and every part of you wants to stop — you keep going. Not because it's easy. Because it matters. For the man who laced up his shoes nine times and ran further than most people can imagine. Who stood on that start line nine times, in the cold and the dark at 5:30 in the morning, and gave everything he had. Every single time. He never talked about giving up. It simply wasn't in him. I wish he could see this. I wish I could pick up the phone and tell him I'm doing it. That his daughter is lacing up her shoes and running through the streets of Dublin, and that every step is for him. I think he would smile that quiet smile of his. He would probably tell me to stop at the top of the hills and to take it all in and to take it easy on the hills. And then he would tell me to keep going. So I will Dad. I promise. ❤️ If you can spare anything at all, please donate. Not for me — but for every family who has watched someone they love disappear to Alzheimer's before their time. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. ❤️