Sucba Mark to do Dublin marathon in full scuba diving gear to raise money for Project Aware

Scuba Mark is back on the awareness- and fund-raising marathon trail.

The Mullingar man, who prefers to remain anonymous so that attention is focused on his causes, recently ran the Chicago marathon and is running the Dublin marathon this weekend – in full scuba diving equipment, to raise money for Project Aware.

Project Aware is a non-profit organisation which tries to reduce the plastic pollution in the ocean and lobbies governments to change their policies to reduce the problem at the source.

It also focuses on shark and ray conservation.

Scuba Mark ran the 2015 Dublin marathon in a fully inflatable Mr Blobby costume to raise funds for the Irish Cancer society.

Here he explains his current project:

WHAT

I was part of the Project AWARE 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Team to raise at least €3,000 to help secure a brighter future for the health of our oceans and specifically the critical issue of marine debris.

Pollution is the one of the overarching stressors currently affecting the health of the ocean and marine debris is one of the biggest sources of pollution.

Pollution from human activity has seriously damaging effects on marine ecosystems.

Marine animals become entangled in debris, and even mistake it for food – often with fatal results.

Project AWARE supports policies to stop ocean pollution at the source.

Funds raised by the marathon team support Project AWARE conservation work and fuel the grassroots action and policy change necessary to ensure a clean, healthy ocean for us today and for future generations.

As a lover of the ocean, I’m very aware that its protection depends on all of our actions, large and small.

WHY

People have asked me why I am doing this as it is tough and risky for my health and body.

I feel the risk is necessary to show people my passion for this cause.

The few hours of pain and suffering I may endure during the marathon is a reflection on how tough change can be, but once I cross that finish line, once the world crosses the starting points of change, the rewards are life-changing.

If I’m honest, in the beginning I gave the normal answers of to protect the environment and to try to make a difference as I did not want to sound too extreme.

These answers are 100% true; however, they do not come close to describing the real feelings I have about this topic.

I honestly cannot bear to watch what we are doing to the planet and its inhabitants.

If I weren’t doing this and trying to make amends in some small way, I doubt I would be here at all as I hate that I am part of the cause of damage to the environment and the innocent wildlife in it.

I feel like this needs to be said as I would not be surprised to find that many people in our society feel as utterly helpless and emotionally exhausted by these issues as I do.

However, every small change adds up and everyone has a part to play.

What we are doing to this beautiful planet is so devastating to see.

We are just one of the millions of species that call this planet home, yet we are the sole species that have driven it to the brink of disaster.

By our actions and our indifference, we have pushed countless animals to the brink of extinction.

Humankind has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970, leading experts to warn that the annihilation of wildlife is now an emergency that threatens civilisation.

Some studies suggest that humans have destroyed 83% of mammals since the dawn of civilisation and that even if that were to stop immediately, it would take 5-7 million years for the natural world to recover.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a love of the outdoors and wildlife.

However, my love for the ocean and its inhabitants has eclipsed anything I have experienced previously.

During the last three years I have immersed myself in the world of scuba diving and marine life.

I have been lucky enough to have seen some of the most beautiful sights beneath the surface that this world has to offer and viewed some of the most incredible creatures on the planet.

Unfortunately, I have equally seen some of the most troubling sights on the planet first-hand.

Entire coral reefs destroyed by bleaching, sea turtles caught in plastic and fishing nets completely covering reefs.

Oceans, not of water any more but of plastic, and countless marine creatures dead due to the negative effect that the human species has had on this planet.

These sights have had a profound effect on me.

I decided that I had to make a change and work to repair the damage that we as a species have done.

The creatures of this planet are innocent victims of the effects of our actions and we must try to make amends.

Facebook Page; https://www.facebook.com/ScubaMarathon

Donation online at; https://www.facebook.com/donate/573593106714404/

Guess the finish time competition; https://www.facebook.com/ScubaMarathon/