October 24, 2025 • 3 min read
Not every member of the GOAL USA Great Ethiopian Run Team will be making the journey to Addis Ababa this November. Mattie Hogan knew he couldn’t travel this year (he hopes to next year), but he joined the team anyway and made a commitment to run not just 10 km, but 500 km, while raising funds toward the team’s $300,000 goal. Meet Mattie…
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Mattie, coming from Stillorgan in South Dublin. I’m currently working in B2B sales in the financial sector. I made the decision to move to New York after a few trips here, experiencing the pace of city living and seeing the opportunities there were for both my professional and personal life.
Where does your strong commitment to GOAL’s mission come from?
I’ve known of GOAL and the work they’ve carried out over the years for as long as I can remember, as my father was involved with GOAL for quite some time. I felt this was the perfect opportunity to do something positive and commit myself to an initiative that is making a real impact.
You’re helping fundraise as part of the wider Great Ethiopian Run team – what was it about that particular mission that appealed to you?
When I came across the announcement on LinkedIn, I took the opportunity to learn more about GOAL’s previous trip and the broader situation in Ethiopia. I began reading about the challenging conditions many communities face, and the critical humanitarian support GOAL has been providing since the 1980s. Even in Addis Ababa, the capital city, there are high levels of urban poverty and a severe housing crisis. Across the country, essentials that many of us take for granted – such as clean water, proper nutrition, and access to healthcare – remain out of reach for millions. Children are particularly vulnerable, with malnutrition continuing to be a serious issue. I’m very aware of how fortunate I am to have never experienced this kind of hardship, and I saw this as an opportunity to contribute my time and effort to raise awareness and support the impactful work GOAL is doing on the ground.
But you won’t be going to Ethiopia this year?
I realized that a trip to Ethiopia was not in the cards for me this year but I knew I wanted to be a part of this team and do something that would have an impact, so I decided to raise funds and run 500 km through the month of October.
500km in the month of October is quite a commitment! About 10 miles a day, how’s it going?
There’s no doubt this challenge has been both physically and mentally demanding. Although I’ve played sports throughout my life, distance running of this scale was completely new to me. Before getting started, I was fortunate to receive advice from experienced runners and fellow supporters, like GOAL USA Board member Conor Twomey and Oran Bambrick, whose guidance proved invaluable in preparing me – and likely helped me avoid injury so far. I’ve now passed halfway mark at 250km, which feels like a significant milestone and a reassuring indication that I’m on the home stretch towards completing the challenge.
What’s it been like being a part of this community and the wider GOAL family?
Joining the GOAL team has been a fantastic opportunity to connect with a group of truly inspiring and dedicated individuals. Everyone on the team has such positive and infectious energy which has been a breath of fresh air. I’m especially grateful for the work being done behind the scenes by the GOAL USA team – their commitment to keeping everyone connected and informed has made a real difference. From regular check-in calls to introducing me to other team members, their support has been invaluable to me throughout this journey and making the fundraising possible.
To support Mattie’s run…
You can support Mattie’s effort here and learn more at goalus.org/greatrun.
