LAST Friday a fundraising target of €20,000 was exceeded by €5,000 after people generously contributed to a 100km fundraiser in aid of West Cork Rapid Response.

Sam Bracken undertook the charity event in memory of his mother, Finola, who was well known to many Cork people through the family business Bracken’s Bakery.

Sam’s mother died suddenly on August 11th 2024 after getting into difficulty while at Tralispean beach, but Sam and his family were impressed by the speed and the expertise of the highly-trained first responders and wanted to show them their appreciation.

Sam set himself the challenge of running 100km from his family home in Glenville in North Cork to the beautiful West Cork beach that is located five miles outside of Skibbereen.

After learning that the kit they carry in their own cars is entirely self-funded, Sam wanted to acknowledge the work the volunteers do throughout the region, and provide them with practical support.

As a fundraiser, Sam was pleased with the generous response and all of it was donated directly to the life-saving service.

The one-day run from Glenville to Tralispean was broken down into 20km stages with Sam stopping to refuel before hitting the roads again for another 20km.

All of the people who helped Sam through the tough times after his mother died, were on hand to support him once again: some ran alongside him, others set up aid stations, or transported runners between the various staging posts.

Some prepared enough quality nutrition to help Sam power through to the finish line at Tralispean.

After crossing that line, a crowd joined with him in celebrating his achievement, but also in honouring the memory of his mother.