Swimmers invited to join Alan Corcoran for the final stretch of his epic journey and help raise funds for the Irish Heart Foundation and Solas Cancer Support Centre on Sunday, 21 July.

This Sunday 21 July, Alan Corcoran will have successfully swum the length of Ireland and he is inviting others to join him for the final stretch to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation and Solas Cancer Support Centre.

Also known as ‘Marathon Man,’ Alan Corcoran took on the challenge of swimming the length of Ireland in memory of his late father, former FAI President, Milo Corcoran, who died in 2016. Milo had a stroke in 2011 and subsequently died of cancer in 2016, leading Alan to choose to support the Irish Heart Foundation and Solas Cancer Support Centre.

The Waterford native is more than a month into his endeavour, which started on Saturday 01 June, when he dived into the sea at the Giant’s Causeway.

This is not the first time Alan has attempted the seemingly impossible in support of charity. In 2012 he became the first man to run around the island of Ireland – completing 35 marathons in just 35 days.

Speaking before he began his 500 km swim last month, Alan said “Losing my dad has been the toughest experience of my life. Out of the darkness I am determined to grasp any opportunity to create some positives. There was nothing I could do but try and comfort my dad in those last heart-breaking weeks in hospital. We were all helpless. The swim is my small way of feeling like I’m taking meaningful action.”

Alan will finish his swim at Tramore Beach in Co Waterford, and he is inviting swimmers to take part in a mass sea swim event at 6pm on Sunday, 21 July for the final stretch.

Participants will swim a total of 600 metres, swimming a triangular route from Tramore Beach, 300 metres to a marker where they will be joined by Alan and will then swim the last 300 metres with him to the finish line back on the beach. The event is not a race, rather an opportunity to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation and Solas Cancer Support Centre, have a splash and join in the celebration of a local success story.

The entry fee is €20 euro and all profits from the event go to the Irish Heart Foundation and Solas Cancer Support Centre. For more information and to register, please visit here.

The CEO of the Irish Heart Foundation Mr Tim Collins, said, “Alan’s commitment to this challenge and to making a positive difference in the name of his father is a huge inspiration to all of us in the Irish Heart Foundation. We’re very grateful to him for his support and for the awareness he is raising through his efforts. We can’t wait to see him finish his swim in Tramore and hope that the local community will come out in force to congratulate him and welcome him home.”

If you can’t attend the swim in Tramore, you can support Alan by making a donation on his website.