Injured Dad to WALK Dublin Marathon… and it’s all this monkey’s fault

A Dublin dad who promised to take part in the Dublin Marathon if his son's missing monkey was recovered is staying true to his word... despite suffering a painful back injury. Desperate dad Sebastian Hamilton originally took to the Internet in May after he managed to lose four-year-old Matthew's backpack containing some toys and his beloved stuffed monkey. Sebastian even pledged his participation in the Dublin Marathon (his first since the London Marathon a decade ago) for charity as part of his campaign to secure the monkey's return. [caption id="attachment_228365" align="aligncenter" width="414"] 'Monkey'[/caption] Within days, the precious toy was returned to its grateful owner, having been found by another family in T2 at Dublin Airport. Relieved and eternally grateful, Sebastian gamely started training for his Marathon challenge, but then disaster struck:

"Training was going brilliant until late June," he told HerFamily.ie. "I’d done a half-marathon in under two hours and was basically flying. But then the back went, and I could hardly stand up for a week. Even running for a Dart now leaves me in agony. "But I made a promise, so I could hardly just pull out. So I will in fact be walking the marathon – which to me is far worse torture than running it!"

Participants have a limited time to complete the race but Sebastian is hopeful he can handle it in the time available: "I’m desperately hoping it’ll only take seven hours," he added. "...they keep the course open that long to facilitate walkers." Sebastian will walk the Dublin City Marathon this Bank Holiday Monday, October 26 in aid of GOAL, which is currently on the front line in Syria helping to rescue the thousands of men, women and children whose lives have been destroyed. To sponsor him, click here.