Following last year’s successful event, the Mullingar Half Marathon is returning for a second year. One of the organisers, Jason McCabe, hopes it will be even bigger this time around. “The event is being run in aid of Childline. Last year’s event saw close to 700 entrants. We hope this year to have closer to 1000 runners on the day.”
As with last year, the event will begin on St. Patrick’s Day and is starting at 10:30 am from the town centre. The two race ambassadors this year are Ken Maleady and Colm McCormack.
By Claire Corrigan
Ken came to national attention last year following his heroic rescue of a lady who suffered a cardiac arrest at the Dublin City Marathon while Colm gained prominence for his brave efforts while dealing with depression in Bressie’s “IronMind” TV series.
The Half Marathon organising committee hope the event will raise significant funds for Childline, Ireland’s only 24 hour listening service for young people across Ireland which answered over 348,000 calls from children and young people in 2015.
“Mullingar Half Marathon is delighted to be working in aid of ISPCC Childline again this year. We are building on the success of last year’s event where we had almost 700 entrants and raised over €16,000 for the charity. We have a very high quality, fast and friendly race planned again this year, which brings competitors through the scenic countryside around Mullingar, along the banks of the Royal Canal before a very fast and flat finish into the town centre. The race is aimed at all levels and abilities and is a perfect way to star St. Patrick’s Day and maybe make a long weekend of it,” said Mr. McCabe.
Speaking on behalf of the ISPCC, Grainia Long, CEO, commented, “We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Mullingar Half Marathon committee for continuing to support our Childline service. We vitally need these funds to ensure we can continue to support young people across Ireland. We wish the very best of luck to all entrants and encourage any fitness enthusiasts to sign up and get involved.”
The race will start from the centre of Mullingar town and run along the Royal Canal before particpants will return to the finish line in the centre of Mullingar.
Entries are limited for this year’s event and participants are encouraged to register early to avoid disappointment. Registrations are still open online via www.mullingarhalfmarathon.com where runners can immediately avail of the special online entry fee of €30. For more information, please log onto www.mullingarhalfmarathon.com or contact Paul on 1850 50 40 50.
