Mizan to Malin Resilience Run.

Two Dads. One Island. One Purpose.

On 14 August 2026, Sammy and Steven will stand together at Mizen Head and begin the biggest challenge of their lives: to run the length of Ireland from Mizen to Malin.

No stopping to reset.

Two dads committing to keep moving forward, day and night, covering every mile between Ireland’s southernmost and northernmost points in an effort to raise awareness and £100,000 for PIPS and Diabetes UK Northern Ireland.

For Steven, that journey changed forever in August 2023 when his sister died by suicide at the age of 52.

The loss of someone you love leaves a mark that cannot be measured. It changes the way you see life, the conversations you have, and the things that suddenly feel important. In the months that followed, Steven carried what so many people carry after loss — grief, reflection, and a growing understanding of how vital support services and open conversations around mental health truly are.

For Sammy, life changed at the end of 2021 when his eldest of four sons was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just six years old.

Like so many families who receive that diagnosis, everything changed overnight. Childhood suddenly included blood sugar checks, routines, learning, adapting and finding strength in places you never expected. Type 1 diabetes doesn’t stop when life gets busy. It doesn’t disappear for birthdays, holidays or through the night. It becomes part of daily life, and with that comes a new appreciation for the support, awareness and practical help that charities provide to children and families.

Their stories are different, but the reason behind this challenge is shared.

Both have experienced moments that changed the direction of their lives. Moments that made them realise how quickly life can shift and how important it is that people and families have somewhere to turn when they need support most.

Rather than let those experiences define them quietly, they decided to do something that would demand everything from them physically and mentally — and use that effort to create awareness, raise funds and hopefully make a difference.

So they chose Mizen to Malin.
A challenge that feels impossible until you begin.

A route measured in hundreds of kilometres, little sleep, tired legs and constant forward motion. A test of endurance that will push both men far beyond comfort and into places where determination matters more than training and purpose matters more than pace.

They know there will be difficult moments.
There will be times when the body wants to stop. Times when the weather turns. Times when exhaustion makes every mile feel longer than the last.

But those moments are exactly why they are doing it. Because while the challenge ends at Malin Head, the realities that inspired it do not.

Families continue to navigate Type 1 diabetes every single day.
People continue to struggle in silence.
Loved ones continue to feel loss.

And charities like PIPS and Diabetes UK Northern Ireland continue doing vital work that changes lives, supports families and gives people somewhere to turn.

This run is their way of giving something back. Not because they think they can solve everything.

But awareness matters, conversations matter, support matters.

Sometimes the most meaningful things we do begin with simply deciding to take the first step.

From 14 August 2026, every mile will have a purpose.
Every donation will help.
Every share will matter, every person following the journey becomes part of something bigger than a run from one end of Ireland to the other.
This is more than an endurance challenge.
It’s a promise to keep moving forward.
For those we’ve lost.
For those living with Type 1 diabetes.
For those who need support today and those who may need it tomorrow.

Two dads.
One island.
One purpose.