Rory Best Calls on Agri-Business Leaders to Join Third Charity Walk — Nine Marathons, 235+ Miles Challenge
rory best has issued a direct appeal for business leaders in Mayo to take part in his third Rory’s Miles to Mayo charity walk: a nine-day sequence of marathons from September 12 to 20 (ET) that will cover more than 235 miles and finish at the site of Cancer Fund for Children’s therapeutic short break centre in Cong, Mayo. The call comes as construction progresses on the second Daisy Lodge and organisers preview an ambitious route and fundraising goal.
Rory Best’s Third Walk: Scope and Stakes
The challenge will see a captain-led team of business leaders walk nine marathons in nine consecutive days, passing through Derry, Belfast, Dublin, Kildare, Carlow, Cork, Limerick and Galway before concluding in Cong. Participants are expected to complete roughly 50, 000 steps each day over the route that totals more than 235 miles, from September 12 to 20 (ET).
The destination is the site of Cancer Fund for Children’s second therapeutic short break centre, Daisy Lodge, which organisers say is currently under construction and scheduled to open in spring 2027. The physical scale of the challenge is tightly connected to the fundraising imperative: previous iterations have been positioned as major community-led drives to underwrite facilities and family support services.
Deep Analysis: What lies beneath the headline
At face value the event is endurance sport with a charitable aim. Beneath that is a concentrated fundraising model that leverages high-profile leadership, corporate engagement and repeatable route narratives. The 2021 effort led by rory best covered 180 miles from an existing Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, Co. Down, to the Cong site and raised more than €1 million. The 2023 walk extended that storyline, covering 220 miles from a major stadium to Cong and raising €1. 5 million while breaking ground on the new Daisy Lodge on arrival.
Operationally, the walk’s pattern—a single captain, a cohort of business leaders, and a fixed nine-day schedule—creates visible milestones for corporate partners and staff-led fundraising activities. One corporate partner has framed the route as a staff engagement opportunity, noting that several offices along the way will be touched by the challenge. That alignment between route geography and organisational footprints helps explain repeated corporate backing and steady fundraising progress across multiple campaigns.
Expert perspectives and regional impact
Rory Best, Irish rugby legend and captain of the Rory’s Miles to Mayo challenge, described the project’s evolution: “Across the last five years, I have seen this vision come to life, and this year’s challenge carries even more weight as Daisy Lodge is currently being built and is set to open in spring 2027. I’ve been privileged to turn the sod on this site and to see it go from an empty space full of potential to a working construction site, and finally to a safe space for families has been so amazing. “
Joey Wynne, CEO at Arachas, highlighted corporate engagement from an operational standpoint: “We are delighted to once again support Rory’s Miles to Mayo this year, and we have been an integral partner since the beginning of the project. We believe in supporting communities all around Ireland, and our staff, all around the country, have taken this project to their hearts by organising events, walking, climbing, and cycling to raise money and to support Rory and the Cancer Fund for Children team. This year will be no different, as the walk passes several of our offices and we now look forward to the challenge again this year as we approach the realisation of the dream and the opening of the Daisy Lodge facility in Cong, Co. Mayo. “
Tom Keogh, Founder of Keogh’s Farm, who has signed up as a participant, framed the exercise as both personal and sectoral: “I took part in the 26 Mountains to Mayo challenge last year and was completely blown away by the experience. It was incredible to come together with other business leaders, to put our physical and mental endurance to the test, and to raise vital funds for families across the island of Ireland who are navigating the unimaginable hardship of a childhood cancer diagnosis. I’m proud and excited to be stepping away from the farm once again this year, this time with Rory Best on his Miles to Mayo – The Trilogy challenge. “
Regionally, the walk binds corporate networks with local service provision: the route touches multiple counties and culminates at a construction site intended to become a therapeutic respite facility for families. The fundraising trajectory established in 2021 and 2023—raising over €1 million and €1. 5 million respectively—creates a quantifiable baseline that current organisers aim to exceed as construction completes and the opening approaches.
As organisers call for further participation from agri-business and other sectors, the event’s repeatability and documented returns have become central to its pitch. The presence of company offices along the route, long-standing corporate partners and visible milestones in construction offer a pragmatic case for new sign-ups and local mobilization.
Will business leaders from Mayo and beyond answer rory best’s invitation and translate regional goodwill into the final funding needed to open Daisy Lodge on schedule?
