Putting a little Áthas back into peoples' lives!

35 reasons to smile ...
Commencing on the 11th of March, well known adventurer Ian mc Keever will attempt to set a new record for the most ascents ever recorded on Croagh Patrick. Over a 7 day period (March 11th - 17th) he will ascend 35 times in total to help mark the 5th anniversary of the historic 7 Day Reek Challenge organised annually in support of Mayo Autism Action, who this year hope to surpass the €500,000 mark for funds raised for their Athas school in Kiltimagh in Co Mayo.
In order to achieve his goal Mc Keever will have to climb up and down a minimum of 12 hours a day, covering in excess of 60,000 metres and withstand an overall calorie deficit of 20,000 calories. He is expected to burn in excess of 50,000 calories over the 7 day period but his daily calorie consumption is expected to not exceed far beyond 4,000 calories. Looking ahead to the challenge Mc Keever is nevertheless optimistic of his chances, ‘I've been here before in different guises' he remarks. ‘In 2004 we did the reek 7 times in 17 hours but this will be tougher no doubt about it. The lactic acid build up will require daily ice baths at the bottom of the mountain and lots of physio support. But when it gets tough I'll just think of the kids in Mayo. This school depends entirely on public funds! If I can crawl of Everest blind then I can surely find the reserves necessary to complete this great challenge too!' Facilitating the logistics will be the Mulroys Londis store in Castlebar and the Castlecourt Hotel who between them will fuel Ian's specific dietary requirements which will include among other things 15 steaks, 35 red peppers and 30 cans of tuna. His gear will be supplied by Portwest in Westport. Physio will come courtesy of Owen Sweeny from Foot Motion and Ger Mc Hale who will provide base shelter to all of the climbers throughout the week
To support him along the way Ian is calling on 7 well known Mayo faces to do at least 1 day and 5 ascents each day. On the first day he starts with TD John O' Mahony, followed by John Maughan.... Pat Kearns and Johnny Oosten who are organising the challenge are hopeful the rest will row in. ‘We hope to see Cora Staunton, the Sligo Rover keeper Ciaran Kelly and maybe even the new Taoiseach in waiting to play their part too'. In addition secondary students from a cross the country including Davitt College + St Joseph's College in Castlebar along with students from Belvedere College in Dublin will join Ian throughout the week as they continue to prepare for their respective trips to Kilimanjaro mountain this summer
Members of the public can still register for the '7 Day Challenge' March 11th - 17th and join hundreds and hundreds of people from all over the country and indeed world (some as far away as the USA by logging on and registering to the website - www.croaghaptrickchallenge.com
Formed in 2006 by a group of concerned parents, dedicated to improving services for children with autism in the Mayo region, Mayo Autism Action took flight.
As a result of their tireless efforts, the group opened the Áthas School in Kiltimagh in 2008 to provide educational services using the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis, a model that has been scientifically proven in the treatment and education of children with autism. Currently, the school caters to four pupils, with additional families accessing other therapeutic or educational services at the school. The group plans to expand services, but is limited due to resources.
Áthas relies exclusively on support from fundraising activities and receives no assistance from the Department of Education and Science. It is one of the very few schools in the country that has been sustained on fundraising alone
To support Ian's efforts he is calling on the local chambers of commerce to encourage 35 Mayo based businesses to each pledge €100 but only he says if he is successful. The public can pledge by logging onto www.mycharity.ie/event/mckeever