Gerard scoops two records after finishing 100 marathons
Keep on running so the song goes and Gerard Fay intends to do exactly that after setting two awe-inspiring records - completing the most marathons in Ireland in a calender year and the most marathons run by any Irish person in 12 months.
Gerard completed an astonishing 108 marathons last year but has no intentions of slowing down despite covering a jaw dropping 5,050kms of ground in 2019.
His achievements don’t stop there as he also achieved a personal best in the Dublin Marathon in October, finishing in 3:57:10.
The Dublin marathon proved to be a milestone in many ways and as he crossed the finish line Gerard not only achieved but surpassed a longheld ambition of completing 100 marathons in 365 days.
‘I’m absolutely deligthed to achieve the records,’ Gerard told the Drogheda Independent. ‘I never set out at the beginning of the year to break the records but the opportunity presented itself and I knew in myself I would regret not going for it.
‘ The records are great to have but at the end of day they are just my own. Once I started the marathon last new years day it was back to 0 and just a new year and new challenges.
‘ The bigs one for me was breaking the 4 hours in Dublin.
This was the big target for me being the 40th aniversay and I had only ever achieved the Sub 4 once previously in Derry back in 2013.’
The 48-year-old never dreamed when he completed his first race more than 20 years ago that he would go on to take part in more than 500 marathons, each one a test of endurance all completed to help raise vital funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, a cause close to his heart.
Throughout the year he raised a total of €5,000 for the charity and in more than three decades fundraising for CF he has raised in excess of €150,000 of which €100,000 was used for the purchase and refurbishment of the dedicated CF Outpatients Unit in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. The modest local said he continues to do what he does in order to help the ‘real warriors’ who live with CF every day.
Gerard says he plans to ‘cut back’ on the marathons next year, with plans to complete ‘just’ 65 of them!
I will be cutting back on the number of marathons in the year but I would like to do a few longer runs this year and maybe push on for the 100 Mile distance,’ he said. ‘ However, I am also aware that I did push my body to its very limits and that if I do not pull back the body is going to start to turn against me.’
Despite his amazing achievements and record breaking performances, the local man remains as humble as ever.
‘ To me it is never about records or who is the greatest and done more or less. Running is a very independent and lonely sport especially at the longer distances. Yes you can train with others and you are racing with them but they are not going to run the race for you, that is down to the person themselves.
‘What I achieved could not have been done without the support of all the marathon groups around the country but on the shorter distances I would also like to thank Drogheda & District, all the local clubs in the region and the 2 Dublin Clubs Raheny Shamrocks and Clonliffe Harriers,’ he added.