Two Irish lads living and working in Australia are currently getting ready for one of the toughest challenges of their lives - a gruelling 1000km cycle from Sydney to Melbourne, all to raise funds for mental health charities in both Ireland and Australia.
Pallaskenry native David Keating and his pal Darragh Byrne are hoping to do the cycle in just six days and want to raise $30,000 Australian dollars in the process - splitting the funds between Pieta House and Australian mental health charity the Black Dog Institute.
27-year-old David, who's here in the video explaining the motivation behind the cycle, has been working in construction Down Under for the last three years.
He says the challenge, that they've dubbed 'The Rocky Road to Melbourne' is just as much about testing his mental limits as it is the physical ones.
He said: "I know myself I'm not the best cyclist, I'm not the best athlete, but I do have a level of no quit in me and it's what'll keep me going,
"I know I'll go in to a dark place, tell myself I can't do it, ask myself what have I done, but I know that the choice to give up won't come into my head - I won't quit."
The pair will begin their cycle on 19th April, and have set up a GoFund Me page here where people can donate to the cause - currently they've raised almost $7,000 between them.
On why they've chosen the two charities in question, they've said:
"We are doing this for a number of reasons, firstly to raise much needed funds for two charities, Pieta House in Ireland and The Black Dog Institute here in Austrailia. These two charities are very much on the front line of the battle for better mental health and we feel very strongly about supporting them as much as possible. Secondly, to see if we can do it. To test ourselves and learn the lessons a journey like this may teach us."
