![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/00246f38-614.jpg\"\/)
\nChris has already ran the length of Ireland twice before<\/p>\n
A Dublin man who overcame addiction is limbering up to embark on an epic challenge for charity – to run the length of Ireland and back again.<\/p>\n
Chris Connolly will run more than 1,000km on his route from Malin Head in Co Cork to Mizen Head in Co Donegal and back again.<\/p>\n
He will begin the challenge on 1 June and is raising money for Family Carers Ireland.<\/p>\n
Chris has attempted this feat twice already and said he almost gave up on his dream of completing it until he had a realisation that changed his outlook.<\/p>\n
“I made the correlation between me trying to get sober and me trying to do the challenges being the same,” he told RT\u00c9 News.<\/p>\n
“I tried relentlessly to get sober and never could. I failed and failed and relapsed and relapsed. I never thought I could get there, but one day I got there. I’ll make mistakes, I\u2019ll fail, but I need to continue to get back up. This is me getting back up for a third time.”<\/p>\n
Chris said running changed his life and has become “a tool to stay sober” over the last five years.<\/p>\n
\nChris has already ran the length of Ireland twice before<\/p>\n
He is grateful that he got the help he needed and is driven to fundraise for charity because “when you\u2019re in a position where life is going good, that\u2019s when it\u2019s time to give back”.<\/p>\n
He hopes sharing his story will show others that they can achieve their dreams too.<\/p>\n
“All I want to do is to use this challenge to show people in recovery or still in addiction that you can do anything you want in life,” he said.<\/p>\n
When it came to training for this third attempt, Chris described it as being “much more intense” than before.<\/p>\n
Every day, he runs 20-30km in the morning, followed by a 10-15km run in the evening, and he also weight trains.<\/p>\n
When the challenge gets under way, he will cover 60-80km per day and he hopes people will turn out to support him by cheering him on or joining him for part of the run.<\/p>\n
“The biggest mistake on the last attempt was not including people outside of it,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I need community, I need connectivity. I’ve done this challenge on my own and failed twice already, so if nothing changes, nothing will change.”<\/p>\n
He will be sharing his routes and updates on his ‘Get Better With Chris\u2019 social media accounts along the way.<\/p>\n