Tour De Picnic 2023: 'King of Chemo' to cycle around Ireland raising funds for this years cycle/run

As Electric Picnic gets closer, so does the kickoff of the annual charity Tour De Picnic. The charity run/cycle, in which participants run or cycle to raise money for Irish charities, gives participants the chance to nab a ticket to the sold-out weekend long music festival.

Iain Ward, also known by his moniker 'The King of Chemo', is taking it one step further: he has pledged to cycle 52 kilometres or run 21 kilometres every day during the month of August as he travels around Ireland. You can donate to his gofundme here.

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In 2019, Ward was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and has since been on a mission to raise funds for various charities. Given a life expectancy of five years, Ward decided he wanted to do something good with his time left, with his ultimate goal being to break the record for raising the most amount of money while running a marathon.

"I’m no stranger to Tour de Picnic as I cycled to Stradbally for the first two Tour de Picnics," Ward said about the event. "It’s all in aid of some great charities too so the journey really starts with the fundraising – so throw yourself into it.”

Ward recently visited America to complete a charity cycle from the East to West coast and has returned to Ireland to encourage people to sign up for this year's Tour de Picnic.

Tour de Picnic will kick off September 1 at Tallaght Stadium, and Ward will be at the starting line as participants cycle the 80 kilometres to the Picnic. You can head to the Tour de Picnic website to sign up now, as registration is open until August 18.

If you raise a minimum of €450 (registration included) before August 18, after completion of the run or cycle you will be given a three day Electric Picnic camping ticket, which are sold out. Students have the option to raise €400 instead with a student ID.

Funds raised this year will go to three Irish charities: Jack and Jill, Children’s Health Foundation and Childline by the Irish Society for the Prevenetion of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

A few days ago it was announced that Paolo Nutini will replace Lewis Capaldi as a headliner, joining the likes of Billie Eilish, The Killers, Fred again.., and Niall Horan, amongst many others. Read more here.

All tickets for the festival are sold out.