Coghlan gears up for festival

Senator Eamonn Coghlan yesterday found the perfect opportunity to help promote his &St Patrick’s Festival 5k and Family Fun Run — in tandem with his mission to improve the physical fitness of the younger generation — when he met a group of transition students from Presentation College, Terenure on a field trip to Government Buildings.

By coincidence, national marathon champion Linda Byrne of Dundrum South Dublin Athletic Club — a former student at Presentation College — was also present as a special guest to launch the St Patrick’s Festival, much to the surprise of her former teacher Lorraine Jones, leading the transition students group.

Coghlan said that the need for the general public and young people in particular, to take part in events like the St Patrick’s Festival event is now more acute than ever.

“As a society, we must get out and take part in events of this kind if we are to avoid storing up health problems for the future,” Coghlan said.

The former World 5,000m champion is promoting a Points for Life rather than Points for College Campaign into primary schools nationwide.

Linda Byrne, who has already achieved a marathon A qualifying standard for the London Olympics will compete in Sunday’s Axa Raheny Shamrock 5 Mile Road Race — an event she won two years ago, when she finished ahead of European Cross Country champion, Fionnuala Britton.

The Dundrum athlete has been averaging more than 60 miles a week in training and is looking forward to getting back into competition mode.

“My training has been going well and it is great Ava Hutchinson from my club has also achieved the Olympic Marathon A qualifying standard,” Byrne said.

Eamonn Coghlan’s son John will this weekend be chasing his first sub-four-minute mile in the Terrier Classic Indoor Mile at Boston University.

* The online entry is now open for the St Patrick’s Festival 5k & Family Fun Run. See www.patricksrun.com