Over 100 take part in Wicklow Hospice Avondale marathon
Over 100 runners, walkers and joggers took part in the Wicklow Hospice Marathon and Half Marathon in Avondale Forest Park on Saturday.
To combat the disappointment of those who were unable to register for the fully-booked Dublin City Marathon, Wicklow Hospice hosted this event instead and the grounds of Avondale were perfect for the occasion.
The first three men home in the marathon were Michael Casey who travelled from Chicago, closely followed by Brendan O’Mahoney and Daragh Culhane. The first three ladies were Les Galvin, Elaine McNulty and Frankie McGivern. The first three men in the half were Nicolae Buceanu, Domnic Horan and Dessie Shorten while the first three ladies were Rachel Burgess, Lynne Duffy and Martina Nolan. Wheelchair athlete Gerry Forde also took part, having travelled from Cork to participate, as well as Team Kerr and Dublin City Marathon pacers Don Hannon and John Chapman.
Events such as this cannot happen without the support and assistance of many people including the stewards, the Tarmey and Kinsella families at the water stations, Michael Richardson, Damien Byrne and Wicklow Civil Defence, who provided their excellent back-up along with Rathdrum Gardaí, Norman at Avondale, ML Security of Delgany and Gorey, Ludo who massaged many weary limbs and Wicklow Sports Partnership who supplied the water and post race refreshments.