Johnny Donnelly is best known for his successful music career with The Saw Doctors. Now, however, he is set to become famous for a very different reason: completing 60 marathons over the next four years in an effort to end extreme poverty.

Galway native Johnny Donnelly shot to fame in the 90s as a drummer with the hugely successful Galway band, The Saw Doctors. He left the band in 2001 to pursue other interests but has since continued his musical career, gigging all over the world. Now however, he has put music on the back burner to concentrate on an even tougher task: ending extreme poverty.

Over the next four years, Johnny will undertake one marathon a month over tough terrain to raise money for Irish charity SeaChange. The charity helps people in the poorest areas of Haiti, Kenya and Thailand, through the distribution of small, collateral-free loans. These small loans help people in poor communities to help themselves by purchasing tools and setting up local businesses.

As part of the 'Run Johnny Run' project, people all over the world can donate money and join Johnny on the different legs of his 2,000-mile journey. The concept originally came about when Johnny was just five years old, when he wrote a poem called 'Running'.

"I had written this poem, which was basically about everyone in the town running with me. I had completely forgot about it and it only came back to me last year when my son Henry was born. He was very ill and was in intensive care for six months. When he got better, I decided I wanted to give something back and that's when the whole Run Johnny Run idea began."

Since then the project has received a great response, with many runners coming on board to join Johnny in his quest. After 12 months of planning, the hard work began on 22 February when Johnny began the first of his 60 marathons in Seville in Spain. All went to plan and he has since completed the gruelling 35 mile Two Oceans marathon in Cape Town as well. So, what goes through the mind of an Irishman as he runs 35 miles in the searing heat?

"I was running up this mountain in circles hoping that just around the next corner was the top, but it never is. It's just endless but exciting all the same. I actually felt rather good all during the last section as the sun was out, all the people were out cheering and I also knew that the end was near. This is the bit about running that I love, where your head takes over and you start thinking about the maddest of things to try and numb the pain. I started thinking about the kids and my wife Aisling, and work and my parents. I came to the conclusion that I was at that moment so happy with the way that my life has turned out and if I was offered the chance to do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing! Then, in a happy mode, I started singing the theme tune to the Wonder Pets, a cartoon that my son Ben watches on the television."

Although Johnny believes that completing a marathon is down to mind over matter, he admits he is "terrified" of the challenge ahead.