After ice, snow, scorching heat and humidity and blinding winds in sub-zero temperatures, a little bit of soft Irish rain wasn't going to faze him. The Galway economist, Richard Donovan, who has run seven marathons on seven continents within this calendar year, completed his eighth and final run in his home county at the weekend.
With him for the first "leg" of the 56km route from Killimor in east Galway into Eyre Square was a four-legged substitute for Sonia O'Sullivan: a collie named Nikita owned by his brother, Paul. The Olympic champion had agreed to support Donovan with sponsorship of €1,000 for the first mile; as she is at her winter training base in Australia, she left it to Mr Donovan to choose the "sub".
The selection was appropriate, given that the Galway Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) is one of two charities benefiting from Mr Donovan's efforts this year. When all the financial support is counted, he expects that some €50,000 to €60,000 will be raised for the GSPCA and the humanitarian agency, Goal. His Saturday "fun run" is estimated to have raised €30,000.
The 36-year-old economist not only completed, but won, several of the seven "ultra marathons" on seven continents. He was the winner in the first South Pole marathon, was the sole competitor in the first marathon at the North Pole, and also came first in the Everest marathon, a 100 mile staged race in north India in altitudes of over 11,000 feet.
He took "gold" in the Poor Man's Comrades Marathon in Sydney, Australia, last June and was 12th in the Trans 333 in the Sahara, the longest desert race in the world, run over a distance of 100 miles in southern Tunisia.
What's more, he had no big multinational sponsor behind him. Businesses, schools and communities in Galway provided the backbone of his support, and Saturday's finish at the Cuba Bar in Eyre Square was in tribute to the bar's owner, Mr Paul Grealish, who assisted him with some of his own expenses.
"There was huge goodwill out there, but I had only one major sponsor outside Galway [a company called Accenture], and it was local businesses with little or nothing to gain which reacted positively," he says.
Mr Donovan has no intention of hanging up his runners. He intends to defend his North Pole title next April, having attracted several challengers with his pioneering effort this year, and also wants to see if he can break the Irish record for running 100 miles, which currently stands at 16 hours 35 minutes.
He admits to being "pretty tired", but says he had no special secret diet or training regime. "I was so busy training I couldn't think of restricting myself in that way. I'd still have to go out for the odd pint. At these extremes, much of the effort is mental anyway. That's what keeps you going." Mr Donovan's website is www.sevencontinents.ie.
