Marathon boost for local economy

The third Clare Burren Marathon Challenge took place at the weekend, bringing with it nearly 1,600 competitors, thousands of supporters and more than half a million euro for the local economy.
“We had all the ingredients for a perfect occasion. The weather was stunning and it went very well,” said Gerry Reidy, event organiser.
The marathon itself attracted a strong entry but it was the half marathon that had the highest number of participants.
“The event also went well from a commerce point of view. The whole scene up there was very conducive to people staying in the area for the weekend and I think business people in the area were delighted with the take up. Every place was booked up for accommodation and food
“We estimated that between the people participating and their families and friends, you are looking at half a million euro being left in North Clare over the weekend,” Mr Reidy said.
Local businesses were not the only beneficiaries, as many people taking part ran for charities.
“We had a really broad range of charities that used the event to raise funds. Runners raised money for heart, cancer and cystic fibrosis charities, among others,” he added. Former Saw Doctors member Johnny Donnelly took part for the Sea Change Foundation.
Participants came from diverse backgrounds and age groups, with the overall winner from Russia.
“People came from all over the world. We got packages from Run Ireland, which promoted the event across the internet, and I think that helped. The Burren marathon really has an international appeal at this point. We had people coming from the UK, Eastern Europe and the USA. The international theme was carried on from last year, when a New Zealander won it,” he stated.
Will McEvoy from Stradbally in Laois was the oldest person who took part. This is the second time the 94-year-old took part and according to Mr Reidy, he has some form. 
“He has numerous titles and records going back to the 1950s and is just continuing it on,” Gerry said.
This year’s event maintained a similar number of entries to last year, despite competition from corporate-sponsored events.
“This is a big undertaking and Alan Logue and the people from Clare Spring were key to keeping this event going. It is a real community effort and it couldn’t have happened without the support of local people and the Ballyvaughan Fanore Walking Club,” Mr Reidy stated.
Also vital were the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation, a national voluntary organisation comprising active, highly trained and experienced cavers. This is the third year that ICRO has volunteered its services, providing first-aid cover to the participants for the duration of the off-road parts of the race.
Thirteen ICRO personnel were assisted by members of the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG), who provided four-wheel drive transport for the event.
ICRO’s first aid officer, Alex Cronin, said that he is delighted that the organisation participates in this event each year.
“This is a very important event for us,” he said. “It allows ICRO to improve our communication skills as part of a large, inter-agency, first-aid and rescue exercise and gives our members a great opportunity to put their first-aid training to the test.”
Another very important reason for ICRO to get involved in the Burren marathon each year is to give a little something back to the local community.
“We would like people to know that cave rescue is active in the area, even if we do spend most of our time under the Burren Way, rather than on it,” said Mr Cronin.
First home in the mini-marathon was Edijs Vitols, currently living in Limerick City, in a time of 38:49.5 minutes. The winner of the half-marathon was Terence O’Brien from County Cork in 1hour 49.6 minutes. First to complete the full marathon was Vasiliy Neumerzhitskiy from Russia in a very good time for an adventure marathon of 3hrs:01:39.0minutes.