A marathon can turn a celebrity from any field into an average Joe. But the same 26.2-mile race can open up new possibilities for everyone. Overall, the tiring distance always has something for everyone in its bag. The Chicago Marathon 2024 had something for the Vampire Diaries star in its bag. As per the Hollywood star, the race availed her of a platform to promote her voice against mental illness and the increasing number of teenage suicides in American society. However, two weeks later, another Hollywood throb showed up in another marathon, but with a different message. 

As the actor on the silver screen, Colin Farrell has had the fame to disrupt the constraints and hoist the flag of hope most of the time. In the Dublin marathon, the 48-year-old star had fixed his eyes on something like that. But this time, his fight had been against a faceless opponent, the Epidermolysis bullosa (EB). The opponent is a rare genetic skin disease that has affected Farrell’s friend, Emma Fogarty, badly. In fact, Emma is the longest-surviving individual in Ireland, suffering from EB. Her life is defined by her valiant act against the demon known as EB. Being a friend and vocal against the failure in life, Farell could sit doing nothing. 

That strong urge made him enter the Dublin marathon with his friend Emma. The deal had Farell pushing Emma sitting in a wheelchair in the last leg of the race. But have we mentioned the bigger part yet? The Penguin star was ready to take up the job for two reasons. First, it was Emma’s 40th birthday celebration. So, in the last leg, each kilometer would portray each decade of Emma’s life. And second, the duo had wanted to raise money for the charity and they did, around $690k. But on race day, four tall individuals flanked him. Any idea, why? 

On October 28, four individuals joined Colin Farell in the race while running for Team Emma. As reported by Irish Star, they were “Detective Gardai Ian Redican, Barry Duggan, Ernie Frazer, and Detective Sergeant Tom Power.” However, the star had requested no security. After all, he had opted to run in his backyard—the Irish alleys! But those four individuals completed the marathon with the duo and in the meantime, they provided security for Farell and Emma. And all they did was on their own! That was commendable! But the main part came later. In the post-race interaction, one of those four men, Ian Redican, laid out, “I’d say like the rest of us, he [Colin Farell] was hurting on Monday.” Yet, Farell did not give up the race midway. As per Redican, that act was unbelievable. 

In the post-race conversation, the experienced officer went into detail about the time he and his team had spent with the two-time Golden Globe winner on the price-less occasion. He particularly mentioned the down-to-earth nature of Farell that amazed him and his squad. According to him, the Castleknock born was “overawed with everything because he didn’t know what to expect.” But had that been a loose factor for him? No. In contrast, the officer claimed that Colin had taken their advice throughout the race and, in the end, posed successfully, fulfilling his target. But what about the experience of the man of the hour? 

Colin Farell reminisces about his unique experience in the marathon ground 

On the screens, Colin Farell is experienced to storm in, creating tremors in the opponent camp. But on Monday, he didn’t have any opponent in the crowd of 20,000 fellow runners. Rather, he had one, nestled behind the screen, the disease. And being the protagonist of the story, he couldn’t let it go unattacked. This powerful urge led Farell to match his feet with the runners and be an average Joe, for once at least. But did the tiring journey overwhelm him? Remember, Ian Redican said Colin’s request to “go easy on him” during the race. Why? Colin Farell is not a seasoned runner. So, such a race is bound to take a toll on him. 

However, Colin said something different. Terming his experience as “extraordinary”, he clapped at the stakeholders for creating an admiring atmosphere in Dublin on Monday. “As soon as you turn a corner, there’s hundreds or a couple of thousand people there. The support out there was incredible because it gave you a little bump, and you would actually, all the guards were saying as well, you go a little bit faster than you should be going,” he revealed in one of his interviews after the race. He also narrated the goal he had in mind in the race. Overall, it was a memorable experience for the star. His fans may have wanted to see a similar kind of affair from him.