This article is from page 34 of the 2008-02-12 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
THE countdown is officially on for the Clare first ever walking mara- thon, which takes place in the Bur- ROOM BODY ENYA
The Clare Burren Marathon Chal- lenge, which is being organised by the Ballyvaughan-Fanore Walking Club, will take place on Saturday May 24 and organisers are expecting a treat for enthusiast who can exper!i- ence first hand some of Ireland most SOUR UI DMCC OMA
The marathon was launched in the Burren Coast Hotel in Ballyvaughan last Friday evening and organis- ers are hoping to help attract new visitors to discover the beauty of the Burren.
“We have everything you could
want from a walking marathon – up- hill, cross county – everything you ol tIKe Me bele
“The majority of marathons are on the flat on roads, and that is a bit bor- ing after awhile,” said Kevin McCor- mack of the Ballyvaughan-Fanore Walking Club.
“It’s ust as tough as running a mar- athon. The runners are trained fro running and the walkers are trained for walking, it’s still more than 26 miles. It’s a big challenge all the wneales
“We have great scenary for this walk. We have Galway Bay, we have the Aran Islands – on a clear day you can actually see as far as the lakes in Connemara so it’s a great route for anyone who is interested in nature and sight seeing.”
The marathon will coincide with the Burren in Bloom Festival in Bal- lyvaughan and will start and finish in the Burren Coast Hotel in Bally- vaughan.
It will start at 8am and will go cross country through a variety of different landscapes before arriving in Fanore.
The walker will then return via Black Head and the Green Road and back into Ballyvaughan.
The Ballyvaughan-Fanore Walking Club was set up in 2006 and has al- ready some 80 members drawn from all over the country.
“IT was always a walker I suppose and I have been away for year, But when I came back to Fanore here I ended up walking by myself. I got fed up of that and decided that I
would try and start off a club,” con- tinued Kevin.
“This is the very first walking marathon in Clare as far as I know anyway. But they have these walk- ing marathons all over the world. We have the ideal place for walking here. We have the Burren, there 1s no location like it for walking anywhere in the world.”
For more information check out www.bally vaughanfanorewalking- club.com