Borderline madness! Kilberry man's plan to run around the county's 337km border in one weekend

A Kilberry man is preparing to take on one of the most ambitious endurance challenges ever attempted locally running the entire 337km border of Co Meath over three days this June.

Fran McKeown (42) will set off from Newgrange on the morning of Thursday 19th June, ahead of the Summer Solstice weekend, and hopes to complete the full circuit late on Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

To put the scale of the challenge into perspective, 337 kilometres is roughly the equivalent of running from Dublin to Dingle.

“I was just looking for the next challenge,” said Fran.

Over the years, he has steadily increased his distances, progressing from 5km races to 10kms, half-marathons and full marathons. In recent years, he has moved into ultra-running, completing distances of 65km, then 100km twice before tackling the 200km Kerry Way Ultra last September.

“That was up and down mountains in Kerry,” he explained. “This is a lot longer in distance, but it doesn’t have near the elevation. Meath is relatively flat in comparison but it’s still 337 kilometres.”

The idea came after a friend cycled a route that hugged the county boundary as closely as possible using public roads. When Fran saw the mapped route, he knew it was something he wanted to attempt.

“When you look at the map in its entirety, it just looks like the border of Meath,” he said.

From Newgrange, he will head towards Slane, on to Collen across towards Mullagh and Kells, down through Kilskyre and towards Ashbourne, before reaching the coast and looping back towards his starting point.

The run will take place over three days and two full nights. Fran intends to keep moving for as much of that time as possible.

“From a safety perspective, I might have to sleep if I’m delirious or veering off,” he said. “But the plan is not to sleep if I can help it. And even if I do, it would only be a short nap.”

Currently running around 60km per week, alongside 125km of cycling and three strength and conditioning sessions, Fran expects his peak training weeks to reach between 150km and 200km of running as June approaches.

A former MMA competitor who trained seriously for six years and fought twice in the cage, the Kilberry man says he thrives on working towards a fixed goal.

“I love having a date that everything revolves around the training, the nutrition, the sleep. Everything is focused on that weekend.”

But the challenge is about more than personal endurance. Fran is undertaking the run to raise funds for the special needs arm of St Paul’s Primary School.

The school supports children with a wide range of additional needs, from mild learning difficulties to more complex autism diagnoses, and is currently hoping to build a new classroom dedicated to children requiring additional support.

“I’m fortunate that my own children don’t require additional supports, so I feel it’s important to give something back,” Fran said.

“The hardship I’m choosing to put myself through is something I’ve signed up for. Many families face challenges they didn’t choose. If I can take on something like this and raise a few euro to help, then it’s worth it.”

Outside of his athletic pursuits, Fran runs a vertical farming business producing microgreens from a 20,000-square-foot facility in Castletown. The business, which recently celebrated 10 years in operation, supplies wholesalers who distribute to restaurants nationwide.

Balancing business, family life and intensive training is demanding, but Fran says the focus on June keeps everything aligned.

“My entire life is revolving around that date,” he said.