Most people would consider one marathon to be daunting enough– but two Irish men are set to run 32 marathons in the 32 counties, in only 32 days.

Ken Whitelaw (31) and Gerry Duffy (42) from Mullingar will be joined by a host of well-known names including Keith Duffy, Michael O'Leary, Kathryn Thomas, Ken Doherty and Darragh Ó Sé for the challenge.

The two men will start their multi-marathon on 2 July in Longford before moving on to surrounding counties. But Whitelaw now says he has suffered a slight setback after having problems with his shins.

"I have to be very careful now. The saving grace is that there are two of us so if one has to pull out for a little while the other is there to make sure the show goes on. I will be fine by the time the marathons come around – it is not that bad."

Both athletes are in full preparation for the challenge, which involves running 90 miles a week in the lead-up to July.

"We are trying to be very conscious not to tire ourselves, but we are running 90 miles a week. Every fourth week is our recovery week where we run only 40 miles. It is a huge logistical challenge, and training is pretty much taking over our lives," says Whitelaw.

Over 400 people have so far signed up to join the two in July. Each day's run will start at 10am and last about four hours.

"It is a very long day, with early starts. I don't know how we will feel by the end of it but I am going to spend a few days doing nothing but sleeping I think."

Both Whitelaw and Duffy come from athletic backgrounds, having previously trained together for Iron Man triathlons.

"We have known each other for years and we have both a lot of experience in endurance tasks and have done a few triathlons together."

Irish Autism Action will be the main beneficiary of any funds raised but a portion of the proceeds will also be given to the Irish Cancer Society.

Whitelaw acknowledges that the costs involved in raising money for the marathon may put some off joining in the run.

Full marathon runners are asked to raise €1,000, while half-marathon runners are asked to raise €600.

"I would ask that people don't get put off by this, at this stage if it comes to just raising what you can then that does just as well. People should not worry about targets, it shouldn't be a deterrent," says Whitelaw.