Joy and tears as brothers complete 33-day marathon challenge and raise £1.5m

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There were hugs, cheers and tears as two brothers crossed the finish line to complete a mammoth challenge of running 33 marathons in 33 days, raising £1.5m for dementia research in the process.

Jordan and Cian Adams, from Redditch, Worcestershire, were roared on by hundreds of supporters in central Dublin as they completed their final marathon.

Their mother Geraldine died at 52 after being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

They also have a rare gene that causes the condition, meaning they are likely to develop it in their 40s.

The pair, known as the FTD Brothers, started their challenge by running the London Marathon before then completing a marathon in all 32 counties on the island of Ireland in the following 32 days.

Speaking at the finish line, Jordan said he walked out of hospital the day he found out that he carried the gene knowing he "wanted to make an impact on the world".

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He described his mother as "beautiful, vivacious, a cool mum - you couldn't have wished for a better mum".

Jordan later told the crowd that he will lose his life "starting more than likely in my mid to late 40s".

"That hand you get dealt can consume you or you can walk through a door where you can use it as a powerful message to the world," he said.

"To show that no matter the time you have here or the cards you've been dealt, you have a choice of how to play your hand."

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The brothers set off on their final marathon at about 09:30 local time in north Dublin, before crossing the finish line in Merrion Square at about 14:30.

They were cheered on by hundreds of spectators in the park, and crossed the finish line accompanied by friends and family including sister Kennedy Frampton, while dad John and grandfather Glenn also watched on.

Their challenge began with the London Marathon where Jordan ran with a fridge strapped to his back.

Ahead of that feat, he told the BBC he wanted to do something different and "get other people who don't know about our story asking questions".

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They then travelled to Ireland to start their marathon odyssey across the island the next day.

The brothers also received a letter of congratulations from the Prince of Wales, who wrote that he was "incredibly impressed with your inspiring journey and ambitious challenge to undertake 32 consecutive marathons across Ireland".

While the brothers grew up in England, their mother's roots are in Ireland where a number of her family members have also been affected by FTD.

Cian said the multiple marathons had given the two brothers the opportunity to connect again with relatives in Ireland, where their mother had taken them "numerous times as a child".

"It is really good to go back to Longford and Leitrim, go back to where our granddad went to school, where our nan grew up, it was very special."

How did the FTD Brothers' final day in Dublin go?

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme before setting off, Cian said they were "shattered" while Jordan said it had been a "tough 33 days".

Sunny weather accompanied them in Dublin, as did supporters, with people encouraged to join the run, in limited numbers to manage safety, in its early stages.

For the final 10km, only friends and family were permitted to join Jordan and Cian as they raced to the finish.

Glenn Adams, their dad, was among those at the finish line - he said his sons were "not anything really other than normal working-class boys from a small town in the Midlands".

Their grandfather John said: "It's hard to put into words how proud I am of them. They are wonderful."

He said the gene of grit and determination is a gene that is inherited "right through the family".

John accompanied his grandchildren during most of their marathon challenge across the island of Ireland, while also going back to England to look after his partner who has dementia.

When describing the people of Ireland he said they "were so generous, every person I've spoke to had been so kind".

Kennedy Frampton, the brothers' sister, said she was "so grateful they haven't let this [the diagnosis] overcome them".

"They actually make every day count and I'm so proud of them."