Rugby international Lucy among sport stars to take on the 242 CRY challenge
Some of Wicklow’s elite sports stars are encouraging people to complete 2 k of exercise for the two young people in Ireland who die each week on average due to sudden cardiac death (SCD) syndrome.
Wicklow’s Irish International Rugby 7s player Lucy Mulhall and international hockey player Lena Tice are among those who have lent their support by taking on the ‘242’ challenge for CRY.
The ‘242’ challenge encourages people to run, jog or walk 2 km for the two people who die each week due to SCD syndrom and to raise funds for CRY during the pandemic.
Speaking to this paper, Lucy Mulhall said ‘I thought it was a really good idea. It is great for the 2 km radius so everyone can do it and it also helps to raise awareness.
‘Even though we are very conscious of everyone working in the health service, we should’t forget the other charities hard at work or the fact that we will lose people to conditions such as SCD that have nothing to do with Covid.’
The Crossbridge, Tinahely native became an ambassador for CRY last year. The charity works to raise awareness about
SCD and to provide support and counselling to families affected by the condition. Raising awareness of CRY’s work is a crucial part of the ‘242’ challenge.
‘I think for CRY it’s important to have it out there that they are still working and helping families.’
Lucy continued ‘ the Irish people are so good at supporting charities and people in need. I think there’s a lot of pressure at the moment because there are so many different charities out there But so long as people are helping any form of charity, it’s be great if it was CRY, but it’s also great if it’s for healthcare workers or others.’
Currently based at home in Crossbridge, Lucy recently completed her final year exams in UCD and is continuing to train, though she admits it’s challenging.
‘I didn’t necessarily pick running as a sport so it’s difficult running without a ball but you have to keep yourself motivated...We have a really good structured plan sent out to us. We have GPS to wear and we’re constantly on Zoom calls for different rehab programmes.
‘We had a circuit where all the team did a body weights circuit and we were all on a Zoom call. It’s been really good to keep [some] structure and we’re still managing to train away.’
Lucy remains focused as the team will be back in action at some stage, even if they don’ know when they will make their return. She said the break in the season came at a time when the team felt it was making progress.
‘We felt we were gaining a bit of momentum [this season], It came at a difficult time. I think because we now have this time, and I know all the other teams do too, but there are certain things I feel sports people can use the time to work on. For example, you cab work on your mindset or mental skills. It also gives your body a chance to recover or to look after niggly injuires that you tend to carry during the season. We also travel quite a lot so it’s giving us time with our families that we don’t get very often which is another great thing,’
For more information about CRY or the ‘242’ Challenge, visit www.cry.ie.