Navan athletes ready for Marathon Sunday
This weekend represents another milestone for many Navan Athletuc Club runners with the tradition of a group from the club competing in the Dublin marathon being maintained.
The intrepid group from Navan will be in action this year on Sunday next, 28th October in the 39th Dublin Marathon with the action set to start for the wheelchair contestants at 8.55am.
That will be followed by three separate groups (seeded) at 9.15am, 9.30am and 9.45am from Fitzwilliam St Upper.
The athletes will follow the traditional course to the finish at Merrion Square and the Navan AC contingent that has previous experience includes Clarissa Byrne, Louise Hand, Conor O'Loughlin, Ben White, Philip Dempsey, Frances Browne, Barry Watters, Eileen Sheehy and Louise Hand.
Next Sunday will be a major challenge for first-time marathon runners Pat Lynch, Ena Tobin, Derek Fitzsimons, Carol Landy, Petula Clarke, Sonia Pyper-Kelly, Julie Duffy and Isobel Lawlor.
Also tackling the marathon is Keith Russell who completed the event 12 months ago with his daughter Alanna who sadly passed away last December.
Twelve months ago Keith completed the gruelling 26-mile course with Alanna in her chair.
She was the youngest participant in the event and was part of Team Alanna, a group of runners who completed the marathon to raise funds for the Meadows Children's Respite Centre, which Alanna attended.
Last July all that fundraising came to fruition when a new bus was handed over to the Respite Centre by Keith, his wife Ruth and their children Fate, Riordan and Harry.
They handed over the keys of the Team Alanna mini-bus to Clare Keane of the Navan-based Meadows Respite Centre in an emotional ceremony at 121 Fitness in the Mullaghboy Industrial Estate.
SEE VIDEO CLIP WITH MC FRANK GREALLY