{"id":422239,"date":"2026-04-28T21:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/422239\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T21:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:05:16","slug":"brothers-bringing-dementia-marathon-challenge-to-hills-of-donegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/422239\/","title":{"rendered":"Brothers bringing dementia marathon challenge to hills of Donegal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two brothers with deep Irish roots and a powerful personal connection to dementia will arrive in Letterkenny tomorrow morning as part of one of the most ambitious endurance challenges ever undertaken on the island of Ireland.<\/p>\n

Jordan Adams, one of The FTD Brothers, is running 33 marathons in 33 days to raise awareness of Frontotemporal Dementia, known as FTD, and vital funds for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland.<\/p>\n

His younger brother Cian will be right alongside him supporting him throughout.<\/p>\n

His Donegal marathon will start from Michael Murphy Sports at Station Roundabout, Letterkenny, on Wednesday, 29th April. Jordan and his younger brother Cian are expected to arrive at around 7.40am, with the marathon due to begin at 8.50am.<\/p>\n

Members of the public are encouraged to come along, show their support, and give the brothers a warm Donegal welcome as Jordan takes on the county stage of his challenge.<\/p>\n

Jordan is running a marathon in every county in Ireland, with Cian supporting him throughout the journey.<\/p>\n

The challenge began at the London Marathon on Sunday, 26th April 2026, which Jordan ran with a 25kg fridge on his back to represent the weight of the knowledge that he will get FTD in his 40s.<\/p>\n

The Irish Challenge launched on Monday when Jordon ran the first of the 32 Irish marathons in Antrim, followed by another in Derry today.<\/p>\n

Following a marathon in every county of Ireland, Jordan aims to complete the challenge on Thursday 28th May in Dublin.<\/p>\n

50% of all funds raised will be donated directly to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, supporting families living with dementia across Ireland. The remaining funds will support the work of The\u00a0FTD\u00a0Brothers Foundation, which focuses on awareness, education, research, and support for families affected by dementia.<\/p>\n

Jordan and Cian\u2019s mission is deeply personal.<\/p>\n

Their mother, Geraldine Marie Kennedy, whose parents were from Longford and Leitrim, was diagnosed with early\u2011onset Frontotemporal Dementia at 48 years old. She passed away in 2016 at the age of just 52. FTD has devastated their family for generations. Jordan and Cian\u2019s grandmother was one of six siblings, and four of those six developed familial Frontotemporal Dementia.<\/p>\n

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Jordan and Cian\u00a0Adams\u00a0lost their mum\u00a0Geraldine\u00a0in 2016<\/p>\n

Between those four siblings, there were 13 children, 8 of which went on to develop and pass away from\u00a0FTD, including Jordan and Cian\u2019s mum Geraldine and aunt Anne.<\/p>\n

A genetic mutation in the MAPT gene \u2014 discovered through research carried out in Ireland \u2014 has caused multiple cases of familial\u00a0FTD\u00a0across their extended family. Both Jordan and Cian have inherited this gene, meaning they too will develop the same form of dementia in their lifetime.<\/p>\n

Instead of allowing that knowledge to define them, they have turned it into purpose.\u00a0 Speaking of the challenge, Jordan says, \u201cThis run \u2014 32 marathons in 32 days across every county in Ireland \u2014 is deeply personal. Ireland is where crucial research into our family\u2019s genetic dementia took place. It is where our mum\u2019s roots lie. And it is where thousands of families are living with dementia right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Irish challenge \u2014 32 marathons in 32 days \u2014 is designed to represent the thousands of families across Ireland affected by dementia. By Jordan running a marathon in every county of Ireland, The\u00a0FTD\u00a0Brothers aim to shine a light on the reality of\u00a0FTD\u00a0and other forms of dementia in every community across the island of Ireland.\u00a0 This challenge is part of a larger mission: to raise \u00a31 million for dementia research and support before dementia takes their own lives. Since 2018, they have raised over \u00a3400,000.<\/p>\n

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland welcomes the brothers\u2019 extraordinary commitment and the awareness they are bringing to a lesser\u2011known but devastating form of dementia.<\/p>\n

Andy Heffernan CEO of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland commented, \u201cJordan and Cian\u2019s courage, honesty, and determination are extraordinary. Their story reflects the reality of so many families across Ireland who are living with the uncertainty, grief, and the daily challenges of dementia. Their challenge will not only raise vital funds but will also spark conversations that desperately need to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funds raised for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland will support essential services including day care, home care, dementia advisers, family support groups, and the National Helpline \u2014 all of which provide lifelines to families navigating a dementia diagnosis.<\/p>\n

The Donegal public is invited to support Jordan and Cian in Letterkenny tomorrow morning, Wednesday, 29th April, at Michael Murphy Sports, Station Roundabout.<\/p>\n

Jordan and Cian are expected to arrive at around 7.40am, with the marathon due to begin at 8.50am.<\/p>\n

To donate, visit: https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/theftdbrothers<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two brothers with deep Irish roots and a powerful personal connection to dementia will arrive in Letterkenny tomorrow…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422240,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112],"class_list":["post-422239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}