Marathon men finish 32-county feat

AFTER 18 months of thinking about it, 12 months of planning and about six months of intense training, two Mullingar men have completed the challenge of a lifetime by running 32 marathons in 32 days.

Ken Whitelaw and Gerry Duffy were exhausted but exhilarated yesterday, having each run 835 miles in 32 days and across every county on the island.

The 32 Marathons Challenge was in aid of Irish Autism Action (IAA) and has so far managed to raise €450,000 to help people with autism and their families.

The mammoth marathon challenge finished in the men’s home county of Westmeath, where they were joined on the final leg by Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary, Eamon Coghlan and Rose of Tralee Charmaine Kenny along with 300 runners from the county.

Astonishingly, although running long distances every day for 32 days, neither of the men sustained any serious injuries or setbacks.

Mr Whitelaw, however, did pick up a small injury which meant his times were slower than he would have liked for a couple of days.

“Early in the second week I injured my knee, which is why my finishing times were not great for a few runs,” he said. “But it was the support of the people and the worthiness of the causethat kept us both going.”

The men received intensive physiotherapy every day and were kept going by eating natural energy bars while running.

“We’re exhausted but we’re delighted to have completed the challenge,” Mr Duffy said.

“And we hugely appreciate the support we received across every one of the 32 counties.”

Kevin Whelan, head of IAA, paid tribute to the men and explained how the funds raised would be used.

“On behalf of IAA, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed over the past month and I’d like to emphasise that every penny raised in each county will be used to fund support in that county,” he said.

“The difference this amount of money will make is profound. Every €1,000 raised will take a child off a waiting list for diagnosis, while €600 will provide 10 speech and language sessions for children to help them to learn to communicate.”