Colin Farrell has warmed hearts everywhere after completing a marathon while pushing his friend in a wheelchair – raising an eye-watering amount for charity.
The 48-year-old Irish star competed alongside over 22,000 runners in Dublin’s Marathon on Sunday (October 27) morning.
The Penguin star ran for Debra Ireland, a charity that supports people who suffer from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) – known as “butterfly skin” – a rare disease that causes the skin to be fragile and to blister easily.
For the last four kilometers of the race, Farrell was joined by his close friend Emma Fogarty, 40, who is the longest-surviving person in Ireland with EB.
She was born with no skin on her left foot and right arm and experiences excruciating blisters from the slightest touch. Each kilometer the actor ran represented one decade Fogarty has lived with the skin condition.
The Banshees Of Inisherin actor finished the 42km (26 mile) run in a time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, and 45 seconds.
He then embraced Emma after wheeling her to the ending ribbon and spoke to interviewers about the importance of the charity.
“I have known Emma for many years and she epitomizes bravery, she is what courage and pure determination are all about,” he said, cited by The Independent. “That run was nothing compared to the pain she is forced to endure every single day, even though she doesn’t show it.”
“It was an honor to see her waiting for me with four kilometers to go, each of those representing a decade of her life, and to do the final stretch together. I’ll never forget it,” he added.
Farrell and Fogarty have been friends for more than 15 years after meeting at a charity event.
The 40-year-old took to Instagram to send a “massive thank you” to fans for all of their well-wishes before the big race.
“I’m here waiting for Colin to meet me at the last 4km. He’s moving fast and doing really well,” she said in the video. “I’m so excited and extremely emotional. As many of you know, the reason I’ve done this is because I’ve hit the big 4-0 this year, and I wanted to mark it in a huge way. But, it’s you – the public – that’s made it even bigger and more special than ever.”
She added: “Thank you all for your amazing support and donations – in every way. We’re hoping to reach €1 million. Please go to Debra.ie to donate.”
According to The New York Post, the pair raised more than $700,000 for charity at the Dublin marathon.
