by Ronan Casey
A remarkable film about the extraordinary 2010 feat of Mullingar men Gerry Duffy and Ken Whitelaw is to be screened at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin this Sunday, December 14.
‘Marathon Men’ is a feature documentary telling the uplifting story of Gerry and Ken’s boundary-defying dream to run 32 full marathons in 32 consecutive days in the 32 counties of Ireland. The documentary is being screened as the final ‘Ireland on Sunday’ monthly showcase for the new Irish film feature at the IFI.
In 2010 Gerry Duffy and Ken Whitelaw embarked on their incredible challenge – their aim to inspire people all over the country to come out and run their first ever marathons and to raise funds (over half a million euro) and awareness for Autism Ireland.
The film follows over two years of planning and months of exhaustive training for this unprecedented test of endurance, a challenge that would become much more than just a mark of personal triumph, it would be one of the greatest amateur sporting achievements in Irish history.
It will be followed by a directors’ Q&A with Marcus Stewart and Marc O’Gleasain who followed the lads and also edited footage taken by their families into a superb doc. The film premiered in Los Angeles in November at the All Sports Los Angeles Film Festival, where it received glowing reviews.
The full 70-minute version is screening at the IFI this Sunday and an edited 45 minute version will receive its Irish television premiere on Sunday, December 21st at 8pm on RTE2.
