Marathon effort by Conor to raise for Rape Centre
FOR most people, to complete one marathon is the achievement of a lifetime, but one Dunleer man is seven races into a ten marathon challenge to raise funds for Rape Crisis Network Ireland.
Conor Brendan Dunne (right) has just completed the Dingle marathon, and tells the Drogheda Independent he is feeling every single kilometre!
“I have to admit I am fatigued now, but I have the finishing line in sight, so to speak, and I will keep going until I reach my goal,” he says.
“As a novice runner, you think you have about two weeks to recover in between each marathon, and you start fresh, but as they go on, you realise you carry the miles you’ve run with you, and now my legs can tell they’ve run almost 300kms!”
Just 22, since he started his challenge at the end of May, he has run marathons in Paris, Bordeaux, Stockholm, Waterford, Santiago de Compostela, Sweden and Dingle, and has three more to go.
He’s certainly getting in a lot of travel, but sightseeing is easier in some places than others, and some runs are more gruelling.
“The scenery was stunning in Santiago, but the going was tough in the mountains, with a lot of hills,” he says.
“Waterford was especially tough, and not because of the terrain, but I think four in, I reached a bit of a psychological wall, and two thirds of the way through, I really started to hurt, but pushed on. My pace has slowed from my initial few runs of three and a half hours, but it’s not a performance now, it’s about endurance.
“It is good running in the city, as you always have someone to chat to or to look at, while the more rural ones mean you are probably running alone, and need to find yourself in a zone.”
Of course, the real target is to raise fund for the RCNI, or Rape Crisis Network Ireland, which is the umbrella organisation responsible for the co-ordination and development of the fifteen or so Rape Crisis Centres scattered about the country.
“The funds will really help with providing education and awareness in relation to sexual assault, helping and supporting victims should an assault take place, and helping those affected to pursue justice in the Irish courts of law,” says Conor, who is taking a gap year after completing a degree.
“I have raised around €900 online so far and about €350 myself, so that’s a total of €1,250, which is great but I’d love to reach a little more for this brilliant cause.”
Conor will now embark on an unofficial marathon in Louth at the end of the month, followedfby Galway at the start of October, hopefully finishing in style in Dublin at the end of the month.
Donations can be made to Conor’s fundraising efforts through Go Fund Me - The RCNI Marathon Challenge.