Friends raise €9,000 on Grand Canal run

TWO friends from Lusmagh have completed the mammoth task of running the entire length of the Grand Canal, raising close to €9,000 in the process.

Cathal Kelly and Eamon Shields ran the 133 kilometre distance over two days, last Friday and Saturday, in aid of Crumlin Children's Hospital. They commenced their run at the Dublin docklands and travelled west along the canal, finishing in Banagher on Saturday.

Cathal, who is based in Cork, and Leixlip-based Eamon discussed the idea a few years ago and decided to proceed with it last week. Both are runners; Eamon is a member of Le Cheile AC in Leixlip, while Cathal runs with East Cork AC in Midleton. However neither had ever run a comparable distance to 133 kilometres.

Cathal's niece and godchild Katie Kelly had been a patient in Crumlin and passed away in 2014 and Cathal wanted to do the run in her memory.

The pair ran 65 kilometres on the first day and then took on 68 kilometres on the second day of the challenge. Most of the route was through rural terrain. Cathal and Eamon ran together for the first 20 miles, but then ran separately for much of the route as each of them stopped to stretch and walk at different stages.

“I shopped to stretch because of an Achilles problem, while Eamon's knee went on day two,” said Cathal.

“It was a magnificent countryside, isolated, once you pass Adamstown in Dublin.”

There were plenty of highs and lows and no shortage of pains and aches but the duo made their way to the finish line after 14 hours of running – six hours on day one and eight on day two.

On the first day they took in Lucan, Sallins, Robertstown and Edenderry, while the second day saw the pair run through Daingean and Tullamore, before the finish in Banagher.

“There was plenty of walking, jogging and hobbling. It was hard going but we got over the line in the end,” said Cathal. There was a particularly difficult moment at the end of the first day. “I remember approaching Edenderry. It was a straight line for a long distance. That was tough.”

Reaching the finish line was a wonderful experience for Cathal, Eamon and their families and friends.

“It was amazing. There were about 40 or 50 people there,” he said. “Eamon had finished slightly ahead of me.”

To donate to the fund check out https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11367966_grand-canal-run.html