This article is from page 32 of the 2008-09-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 32 JPG
TWO YOUNG Shannon men will rub shoulders with one of the all- time greats in long-distance running in the world, this weekend.
Darren O’Connell and Alan Mullin will travel to Berlin, where they will run their ninth marathon in as many months on Sunday, as part of a 12- marathons challenge.
Along with taking another step to- wards history, the two will line out in a field that includes the prolific Ethiopian marathon runner Haile Gebreselassie.
After Berlin, their task will be completed with runs in Dublin and New York while the feat will come to a dramatic conclusion in Lisbon in December.
The two decided to undertake the
challenge in aid of cystic fibrosis, in memory of their friend Earl Duff who died from the disease in 1996, at the age of just 21.
Both men have overcome pains and aches to run the first eight mara- thons, but the next four races will be particularly tough.
“Our last marathon in Longford went very well. We both finished in three hours 57 minutes which for me was the best time of the year so far. The marathon before that, in the Swiss Alps, was an extremely tough race with the route going over two 2,500 metre mountains. It took me five hours 53 minutes and Alan six hours 13 minutes to complete but it was a great experience and definitely worth the effort,’ said Darren.
“I definitely feel the marathons are taking a bit of a toll on the legs.
Alan and I calculated that between the eight marathons and the train- ing we have probably run somewhere between 1,200 and 1,300 miles this year so far.
‘Alan is training very hard at the moment as he is hoping to run a good time in Berlin and 1s looking to run a personal best there.
‘“T’ve been slacking off a bit on the training lately as I will be playing in a county hurling final in the next cou- ple of weeks so I’m trying to keep the legs fresh. Once the hurling is over I would hope to up the training again and try to run a personal best in one of the remaining marathons,’ added DEE
The fundraising has been going well and a number of quizzes will take place over the coming weeks, both in Shannon and in Dublin
(where Alan is based), along with churchgate collections and bag pack- ing. They are optimistic that they can raise £20,000 by the end of the chal- lenge.
“We are both still optimistic that we will complete the 12 marathons. At this stage most of the hard work is done and barring injuries we should have no problem finishing the 12. At this stage we actually look forward to doing them. We’re both really look- ing forward to Berlin where there will be 40,000 competing including the world record holder Haile Ge- breselassie so that should be a great experience,’ he added.
They are appealing to people to support them in their efforts. Spon- sorship cards are available and people can still donate online at www.12marathons.org.