Navan women’s 300km fundraising run in honour of Hannah

Two young Navan women are running 300km around the centre of Dublin city this November to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society.

Roisin O'Dea from Wilkinstown and Sophie Finegan of Skryne are using their lunch breaks from College to clock up the kilometres for what they are calling their Move-ember 300k fundraising venture.

The duo are doing this fundraiser to honour Roisin's late sister, Hannah who died in February 2021 at just 21 years of age.

"There is a lot of fund raising in November but we decided to do this for the Irish Cancer Society because of Hannah," says Roisin.

"Each year the Irish Cancer Society is able to provide free information, care and support to over 1.2 million people across Ireland who are affected by cancer".

"Hannah, Roisin and I were great friends and used to play tag rugby together when we were young. I wanted to support Roisin in this," says Sophie.

Roisin and Sophie are running 5km each day during their lunch breaks from Trinity College.

Roisin is a final year economics and business student, while Sophie is in her final year studying PPES.

"We are running at lunchtime in the city centre. We are getting a lot of support from family and friends and it is lovely to see so many from college supporting us," says Roisin.

"It is great to get together during our break from lectures and have a run and a chat," says Sophie.

While the pair are relatively fit - Roisin is a member of the Trinity Athletics team and plays camogie, while Sophie plays football - they admit to finding the challenge tough, but are determined to see it through.

They haven't done any special training for the fund raiser, just their usual training for their team sports and the "odd run."

Roisin and Sophie have been friends since childhood. They met while playing tag rugby as primary school students and both went to St Michael's Loreto Secondary School.

"When we were in secondary school, we used to go running together,"Roisin recalls. "So it is nice to be doing this together now."

Sophie and Roisin have set up a GoFundMe page entitled Move-ember 300k and would appreciate any donation big or small.

"This cause means so much to us," they said.

Meanwhile, the Movember annual moustache-growing campaign – now in its 15th year in Ireland – raises awareness and funds for men’s mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer and last Tuesday two barber shops in Trim - Crew Barbers on High Street and Turkish Fade on Watergate Street were offering a clean shave for free, as part of the campaign.