Cyclist complete Africa marathon |
Four young Irish volunteers have arrived back home at the end of a 20,000km cycling odyssey which took them to Africa's southernmost tip... and then back home again.
Magnus Collins Smyth, David Burns, Brian O'Shea who are all aged 25, and Alan O'Dwyer, who is 'a few years older' saddled up in early June of last year to embark on a marathon nine month journey that is set to take them through close to a dozen countries in eastern Africa.
Magnus and Brian, who are from Limerick, David from Coleraine and Alan from Tipperary covered the full costs themselves, and succeeded in netting nearly 40,000 euro for three chosen charities - Self Help Africa included.
They passed through desert, soaring mountains and Africa's low-lying wetlands, and on the return home through Europe spent several days travelling through the January blizzards which brought the continent to a virtual halt.
Along the way they slept in prisons, mosquees, railway sidings and 'in the bush', and have returned home with a wealth of stories of adventure, excitement, and endurance.
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 | | |  |  | Four young Irishmen set off on
an epic cycling expedition through
eastern Africa - from Cairo to
Capetown this Summer. |
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| 'It was a truly unbelievable experience for all of us, and is something that will live with us all for a very long time', David Burns said.
Funds raised for Self Help Africa from the effort will go to build a community grain store in Kenya, and to support environmental rehabilitation work in Ethiopia.
The boys kicked off their fund-raising efforts with a hugely successful St. Valentine's Day Ball in Limerick last year, and book-ended their trip when they returned to Limerick's Clarion Hotel in March for another fundraising celebration - on this occasion to mark the successful conclusion of their trip.
Self Help Africa CEO paid tribute to the quartet for their efforts, and said that they will have had a wonderful insight into the challenges that face people in Africa every day of their lives, but also into the rich and vibrant cultures and communities who populate the continent.
The BikeAfrica2009 quartet regularly updated a blog during their journey, and film footage, images, and stories from their trip can be found by following the link below. | | | |
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