Episode 9. Do it for love. One father's mission to do his daughter proud and push his mind and body to its absolute limits

Todays guest....... a genuine inspiration to me, and someone who helped me massively on my record breaking 100kg to the summit of Ben Nevis challenge.....Mark Reilly. A former professional football player turned ultra endurance athlete and serial fundraiser. Mark's list of achievements are incredible. In 2008, Mark's daughter Dionne was born. It soon become apparent that Dionne's development was not progressing as hoped and after an eternity of frustration at the lack of understanding from the medical world in the UK, Mark looked to America where he was to learn that Dionne had Rett's Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that affects the way the brain develops. This was soon to mean that Dionne now required 24/7 care. Realising that Dionne's condition was incurable, Mark set out to raise as much funds as possible for the charity Reverse Rett, who are pioneering research into a possible cure and treatments for Rett's syndrome so that, in the future no other child will have to live with the condition. Mark takes us through his extreme endurance events, from multiple marathons, through t o Ironmen events and beyond. He has ran 100miles in 24 hours around his previous football grounds and has recently completed the marathon de sables, often entitled the toughest footrace in the world, a 250km multi day ultra marathon across the Sahara desert. Running in over 50 degree heat, Mark was to experience the death of a fellow runner and also the withdrawal of his friend and tent mate after suffering a heart attack. In this time ,Marks fundraising has totalled £80,000 for the fight against Rett Syndrome. We dive into Mark's mindset and how Dionne's condition has gave him purpose in life and how each day, he wakes up truly thankful to still have his health. And finally we hear about Marks plans for 2024, and how his next journey will see him run through the amazon jungle in a race which only 1 in 10 people see it to the end. There is big news coming soon with the regards to the direction I want to take the podcast but for now, please continue to show your support by leaving a 5 star review on your favourite podcast platform, visit my Instagram page for more clips and content from my guests and remember, you can watch the full video of each episode on the Remember Resilience Podcast YouTube channel