By Christopher Conway
A large crowd gathered in Sligo on Friday morning to welcome Jordan and Cian Adams, better known as the FTD Brothers, as they began the Sligo leg of their extraordinary marathon challenge across Ireland.
The Worcestershire brothers are currently undertaking an ambitious challenge of running 32 marathons in 32 days across every county in Ireland to raise awareness and funding for frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a cruel and lesser-known form of dementia that has devastated their family for generations.
Arriving at O’Boyle Park shortly after 10am, the pair were greeted by schoolchildren from Carbury National School and St Edward’s National School, local runners, supporters and members of the wider community before setting off through County Sligo accompanied by around 60 runners.
By the time they reached Sligo, the brothers had already attracted international attention, raising more than £1 million for dementia charities while drawing huge crowds across the country.
Jordan Adams admitted the scale of support they have received throughout Ireland has been difficult to process. “We could never have imagined the crowds to be like they have been over the past 11 or 12 days,” he said.
“I’m extremely tired and overwhelmed by it all. It’s hard to take it all in because I’m managing so much pain and fatigue, but we’re just incredibly grateful. The crowds here in Sligo this morning are incredible.”
The challenge came almost two weeks after Jordan completed the 2026 London Marathon carrying a 25kg fridge on his back, an image that quickly went viral online and brought huge attention to the brothers’ campaign.
While the unusual feat captured headlines, the motivation behind the challenge is deeply personal.
The brothers lost their mother, Geraldine, to FTD in 2016 when she was just 52 years old. Since then, both Jordan and Cian have discovered they inherited the same faulty gene responsible for the illness.
Speaking to supporters in Sligo before the marathon began, Jordan reflected on the moment he learned about his own future. “I walked into Birmingham Hospital on September 12th, 2018, and my genetic consultant told me the worst news of my life,” he said. “Two years after I watched my mum be stripped of everything that made her who she was and die of FTD, I was told that was my future too. I made a decision that day that I was going to try and create a legacy for my family in the time that I have left.”
Frontotemporal dementia is a degenerative brain condition that often affects people under the age of 65 and is commonly misunderstood. Unlike more widely recognised forms of dementia, memory loss is not always the first symptom.
Jordan explained that many people fail to realise how behavioural the disease can be. “A lot of people have a stigma attached to dementia that it’s just memory loss, but with FTD the first symptoms you tend to see are changes in behaviour and personality,” he said.
“For my mum, that started with long periods of depression and low mood. She was actually misdiagnosed with depression, which is the case for a lot of people.”
He described how the illness progressively robbed his mother of her independence and identity. “My mum, sadly, for the last two years of her life, was completely incontinent, unable to walk or talk and was really just existing,” he said.
“That’s what we’re trying to highlight, making dementia visible, not sugar-coating it and showing people the reality that millions of families face.”
The brothers say the challenge is about far more than fundraising alone. It is also about encouraging conversations around dementia, genetics and the impact the disease has on entire families.
FTD has already claimed the lives of 12 relatives in their extended Irish family, including their mother, aunt and several cousins.
Jordan said returning to Ireland for the challenge carried enormous emotional significance for both brothers. “We wanted to come back to Ireland, where the home of all the devastation was, reconnect with our Irish roots and honour the memory of those that we’ve lost,” he said.
“It doesn’t feel like any coincidence that after eight years of working so hard, the world is finally listening in the place my mum loved so much.”
Half of all funds raised during the campaign will go directly to the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, something the brothers say was important to them from the outset.
As the challenge continues, Jordan admitted the physical and emotional toll is becoming increasingly difficult to manage. “I think for the first week it looked like a dream trip,” he said. “But people forget there’s still so much running to do. It’s really taking its toll now.
“Whilst I’m exhausted, seeing schoolchildren out cheering us on and communities lining the streets makes it very special.”
Despite the fatigue, the pair remain determined to complete the challenge and continue spreading awareness of FTD.
Jordan said the support shown across Ireland has reminded them of the importance of community and solidarity in difficult times. “If we can bring Dublin to a standstill at the finish and show people the power of community, then maybe we can change the world,” he said.
“When we finish, dementia still won’t be cured, and me and Cian still face the future that we do.
“But if people are talking about FTD, understanding it and supporting families going through it, then that means everything to us.”
The brothers are due to complete the final marathon of their journey in Dublin on May 28th, where they hope thousands of supporters will join them for the final stretch of a challenge that has already captured hearts across Ireland.
