31 Oct 2024
A vet who has been beating the odds since childhood after suffering severe burns in a house fire, has just completed 55km ultramarathon to raise money for charity.
Kate Williams
Job Title
Andrew O'Donnell and wife Roisin at the finish line of the Gower Ultra Bach event.
A vet who has spent his life overcoming trauma has completed the ultimate challenge in the name of charity.
Given a 5% chance of survival when he was burned in a fire that claimed the life of his sister when he was just five years old, Andrew O’Donnell’s sheer determination has seen him finish an ultramarathon across the Wales Coast Path for the Katie Piper Foundation.
Taking on a 55km run would be no mean feat for the most experienced of runners, but for someone who is a novice, on top of having endured decades of surgeries and being left with a number of disabilities, the challenge was immense.
But Mr O’Donnell has spent three decades facing adversity and obstacles – from suffering more than 70% full thickness third-degree burns and spending six months in a coma as a child, to turning his dream career of becoming a vet into a reality despite being told by a teacher it was unrealistic.
The Gower Ultra Bach 34-mile event across the Swansea and Gower coastline is the latest in the 38-year-old’s mammoth tasks after becoming a father and owning his own veterinary practice.
Mr O’Donnell said: “This was not only my first ultramarathon, but also my first marathon. I have done some shorter trail running before, but nothing close to this distance.
“I had shoulder and abdomen surgery this year in February and shoulder surgery again in June, which meant training was cut quite short to allow recovery from this. It was only by September that I was putting in decent training mileage and this shows in my completion time – very much at the back of the pack, but I was always only aiming at completing it.
“My wife was training and running it with me and she had to stop and pull out after injuring her knee, so keeping going without her was definitely the most unexpected and hardest part.”
As a child, Mr O’Donnell received help and support from the Katie Piper Foundation, the leading charity in the UK providing burns rehabilitation, dedicated to supporting people who have experienced life-altering burns and scarring.
He explained: “As a child suffering from exactly these kinds of things I know how valuable it can be to have the support of people who have experienced the same as you – I was the recipient of charity help, including psychological help and counselling and ‘make-a-wish’-type trips as well, which still resonate as positive experiences for me decades later.”
Mr O’Donnell’s JustGiving page will remain open for a few more weeks.
