Four-day festival of running to get under way at Avondale
THE sixth annual Festival of Running in aid of the Wicklow Hospice Foundation gets under way tomorrow (Thursday, July 12) and continues until Sunday.
The festival, or quadrathon, as some marathoners prefer to call it, has something for everyone and participants can walk, jog, run, race or even crawl if they wish. The emphasis is on participation and achieving one’s own personal goals over a five-mile route around the beautiful grounds of Avondale Forest Park.
The distances are five, 10, 15 and 20 miles and, of course, the marathon distance of 26.2 miles.
This year there is a unique medal for all finishers on each of the days. Those who complete all four days will find that the medals clip together like a jigsaw to make the butterfly shape of the Wicklow Hospice Foundation. Each quadrant also depicts a feature of the garden county.
Participants can choose any distance on any day or days – it’s all very flexible and friendly.
Attending the launch in Avondale last Friday were chairman of the festival Bill Porter and committee members Vincent, Mark and Ciarán. Also present was Joy Godkin, who has participated in every day of the previous five festivals, and John MacDonald, who has stewarded at the festival and other hospice athletics events on many occasions.
Local actor Pat Nolan who has completed the Dublin City Marathon in aid of the Wicklow Hospice Foundation was also in attendance and will be taking part over the four days.
Bill said that he was looking forward to the best festival ever. Interest in this even continues to grow with entrants from all over the country. This year there is even greater interest with the new quad style medal attracting a lot of attention. Bill thanked Michael Richardson and his team of volunteers from Wicklow Civil Defence who have provided back up at many hospice events since the inaugural festival was held in 2013.
Online registration is available at www. itsplainsailing.com/club/wicklowhospice where people can choose their day or days.
One day costs €25, two days €40, three days €70 and four days €90, regardless of the distance chosen.
On the day registration is also available from 7.15 a.m. at the annex building next to Avondale House. The marathon starts at 8 a.m. and all other distances at 9.00 a.m. For more information contact Sinead on 0870954137 or sinead@wicklowhospice.ie