Royal Praise for Marathon Running Brothers
Two brothers known for their marathon running, one of whom completed the London Marathon carrying a fridge on his back, have received commendation from the Prince of Wales.
Jordan and Cian Adams, collectively known as The FTD Brothers, were sent a letter from Prince William during their all-Ireland marathon challenge.
Following Jordan's feat of carrying a 25kg fridge during the London Marathon, the brothers embarked on a challenge to run a full marathon every day for 32 consecutive days, covering all counties of Ireland.
The brothers have successfully raised over £1 million for the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and their own non-profit organization, the FTD Brothers Foundation. Their motivation stems from the loss of their mother, Geraldine, to frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2016 at the age of 52. Both brothers have inherited the gene responsible for the disease.
In his letter, Prince William stated:
"Many congratulations on completing the London Marathon, I am incredibly impressed with your inspiring journey and ambitious challenge to undertake 32 consecutive marathons across Ireland."
The brothers have also lost 12 relatives in Ireland to the same condition, including their grandmother and aunt. Their all-Ireland marathon challenge is dedicated to these family members.
They received the royal letter of approval on day 14 of their challenge as they passed through County Leitrim.
Prince William continued in his letter:
"Taking on such a demanding challenge, to honour your mother's memory and raise awareness of frontotemporal dementia, speaks to your remarkable strength.
You are inspiring people far beyond those who stood along the marathon route here in London, and those who will no doubt be cheering you on along the roads of Ireland."
Brothers Reflect on Royal Recognition
Reacting to the letter, Jordan Adams expressed his astonishment at the impact their story has had.
"To get recognition now from the Royal Family and Prince William is absolutely incredible and feels incredibly surreal. I don't think it'll sink in for a long time."
Cian Adams added:
"It's an extraordinary thing that we've raised that much awareness that it's reached all corners of the globe and now includes the Royal Family as well.
It's people in these positions that matter, who are starting to get wind of our story and the importance of putting dementia on the map. Dementia research is still quite far behind other diseases and we don't want that to be the case anymore."
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on , Facebook, X and Instagram.
