This article is from page 3 of the 2014-11-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
IS IT a bird? It is a plane? No, it actually is Superman. The hunt is on to discover the true identity of a mystery man who has taken to running along the dual-carriageway from Bunratty to Shannon dressed in a full Superman outf t. The Clare man-of-steel, who is believed to be a student in the Shannon College of Hotel Management, caused a big stir last week when he was spotted by motorists running the wrong way along the N-18 between and Bunratty and Shannon.
A large number of people reported spotting the runner early last Wednesday morning, October 29, with a number of motorists also reporting the bizarre incident. A picture, reported to by the mystery man himself, was posted online last week but, just like Superman himself, The Clare People has as yet not been to discover his true identity.
A spokesperson from the National Roads Authority (NRA) yesterday warned against people running on the N18, describing the practice as dangerous and a potential hazard.
All runners, cyclist and people using low powered or slow vehicles are prohibited from travelling on motorways, with runners only allowed on National Primary Roads with the permission of the Gardaí.
“The NRA would not recommend that anyone would run on this stretch of road,” said Sean O’Neil from the NRA.
“Runners are not permitted on the motorway under any circumstances. They are considered to be putting both themselves and motorists at risk.”
It would have taken the mystery runner more then half an hour to run the 8 kilometre roadway between Bunratty and Shannon – with the runner most likely turning off the main road just before it became a motorway.