Roscommon duo go the distance with 100 mile run for Pieta

Two County Roscommon men recently ran for more than 24 hours straight as they completed a gruelling 100 mile (160km) fundraising challenge in aid of Pieta House.

Barry Potter from Frenchpark and Adam Simon from Corrigeenroe set off from Lough Key Forest Park, following a route that brought them through Boyle, Ballinafad, Ballyfarnon, Corrigeenroe, Cootehall, Leitrim Village, Carrick on Shannon and Frenchpark before finishing back where they started.

Both runners are no strangers to endurance events, having previously completed 100km ultra marathons. Barry also ran from Frenchpark to Galway last year in aid of Jigsaw. Speaking to the Roscommon Herald after the latest challenge, he admitted the shorter Galway run had been tougher. “I think I was a lot worse off after that one, to be honest,” he said. “This was an extra 60km, but our fuelling strategy was much smarter this time. Looking back, the Galway run was actually daft in terms of fuelling.” Barry added that having Adam beside him for the entirety of the run made a “complete game changer,” with the pair having lived just doors apart during their time studying in Galway.

For Adam , however, the sheer scale of the 160km distance took a heavy toll. “It’s a lot better than I thought it would be, but I found this one ten times more difficult,” he said. He first got into distance running while working in Amsterdam, gradually increasing his race distances and falling in love with the buzz of crowd support — something he said he felt “in multiples” during the Roscommon run.

“It was amazing. We went through so many different towns and villages. Whether it was Barry’s connections in Frenchpark or mine with family, friends and former teammates, the support was incredible.” The event became a family effort. Adam’s father Paul joined him for 30km, while Barry’s young daughter Alaia was the first to greet him at the finish line.

Both men expressed deep gratitude to everyone who helped along the way — from those who prepared food, to local publicans who opened their doors for rest stops, to supporters who joined them for stretches of the run.

“It was one of the most beautiful things of my life,” Barry said of the finish. “There were so many people there. I couldn’t believe it.” He said choosing Pieta House as the beneficiary was “a no brainer,” given the role running has played in supporting his mental health.

The pair nearly doubled their €5,000 fundraising target, helped by what Adam described as a huge response on social media and community channels.

“Seeing where it’s at now was totally unexpected. The support in the past week has been mad,” he said.