KINGS MILLS, Ohio - Patrick Farrell has a very full heart, but he was running on empty Sunday afternoon.
The Kings Mills man was straining to finish a 100-mile run to raise money for orphans on the other side of the globe.
Farrell took only short breaks for fuel and to change shoes. His first pair had sheet metal screws on the bottom.
"Because there was snow on the ground (Saturday),” he explained after his grueling 30-hour endeavor.
You could say Farrell had his heart in it all the way.
“I decided to blend my passion for running and helping orphans,” he said.
Farrell said he did it for six girls at an orphanage in Nepal who are not available for U.S. adoption.
“There's a non-profit organization called Love Does and they're always looking for people to do fundraisers to provide financial support for the orphanage,” Farrell said.
It’s a cause that close to Farrell's heart because he and his wife Susan adopted their four youngest kids from China.
The Farrells said they got the idea after their only biological child, Karrie, noticed families who had adopted Chinese children. Karrie did her own research and started asking her parents to adopt, too.
The Farrells’ kids know the importance of helping orphans, so they encouraged their dad on his run through their neighborhood.
“I'm just so glad I'm not doing it,” said Caitlin, the Farrells’ first adopted child.
Farrell said he went through three pairs of shoes running on trails and concrete. Other took turns running with him.
Susan kept her husband fed and hydrated as best she could, but she could see him slipping as the miles and hours took their toll.
“He really did great for probably the first 70 miles, but then as evening set in and the cold and the weariness, he hit a wall bigger than I've ever seen before,” Susan said.
“I experienced sleep deprivation at a number of points,” Patrick said. “There's times when you just want to go inside and put your head down on a pillow and go to sleep.”
But the people running with him and encouraging pulled him through, Susan said.
“I really feel like the friends that came and helped him all through the night were a big key. I don't know if he could've done it without them,” she said.
This was the second time Farrell has run 100 miles to raise money for the orphanage. He raised over $3,400 the last time, and his goal this time was $5,000.
Every U.S. dollar goes very far there because of the exchange rate: $1 is worth 102 rupees in Nepal.
As of Sunday, Farrell was about halfway toward his goal. You can donate to Farrell’s fundraiser at PureCharity.com/pat-farrells-fundraiser-1
