Award-winning actor and runner Colin Farrell finished the Dublin Marathon in 4:06:45 while pushing his friend in wheelchair for the last 2.5 miles, according The Irish Times.
Farrell, 48, and Emma Fogarty, 40, have raised more than $690,000 for the charity Debra Ireland, which supports those like Fogarty living with a rare skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa. In a video on X from Saturday’s race, he asks her, “Shall we go again?”
Farrell described Fogarty’s condition as more painful than running a marathon, explaining her body is “80 percent open wound,” while speaking with Seth Meyers last month. (Meyers is due to complete another marathon, by the way.)
Farrell, who ran the Brisbane Marathon in 2022 while working with director Ron Howard, told Meyers “the first mile is magic,” and that saying he’s running a marathon is generous—it could be a walk. But the Banshees of Inisherin actor slowed down just in those final miles of the race to carefully push Fogarty.
“I have known Emma for many years and she epitomizes bravery, she is what courage and pure determination are all about,” Farrell said in a statement after the race, according to the Irish Times.
Epidermolysis bullosa, also known as butterfly skin, is an excruciating blistering condition of the skin, for which there is no cure. The life expectancy for severe cases is early infancy to about 35 years old. Fogarty just turned 40, and this marathon was a celebration of that milestone.
Farrell is heavily involved with charity. Earlier this year, he founded the Colin Farrell Foundation in honor of his son, who has Angelman Syndrome, a neuro-genetic disorder.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:40 5K, and 5:33 mile.
