THE West Clare Cancer Centre will be hosting its annual mini marathon fundraiser over the course of next weekend, writes Conor Clohessy.
As was the case last year, it will be held virtually and while the event which has raised over €5 million in its time is usually run off on the last Sunday of every January, this year participants have the 29th and 30th to do their 10km in their own time.
Organiser Willie McGrath said: “We ran the marathon virtually last year as well, and found it was a huge success. Going forward, it might be the way to do it; but having said that, we’re still hoping that by next year restrictions will be lifted. We’ll be celebrating 25 years, and it would be lovely to think that we could bring the crowds back to Kilkee.”
Funds from the mini marathon have facilitated the construction of palliative care suites with en-suite assisted facilities in West Clare, such as those built in Kilrush in 2004 and the Palliative Care Unit in Ennistymon Community Hospital.
A sum of €180,000 raised from the mini marathon has been allocated to the upkeep of these units to date, and the care centre has never stopped emphasising the importance of palliative care in the West Clare region – at the time of the construction, the closest alternative was for patients and their families to travel to Cahercalla, Galway or Limerick.
The West Clare Cancer Centre also offers complimentary therapies such as reflexology, aromatherapy, back and neck massages and Indian head massages.
He added: “We’re still responsible for providing funds to our palliative care units, but we also cover travel and treatments for those diagnosed with cancer in West Clare.
“From Lissycasey to the lighthouse in Kilbaha, we’ll pick up patients and bring them where they need to go, free of charge. It also allows family members to live their lives outside of caring for the patients, and that’s the most important service, for me.”
Willie continued that while the virtual version of the mini marathon is not ideal, it doesn’t include as much preparation as the physical event, such as permits and stewardship.
He went on to personally thank everyone who has supported the centre over the years, including businesses such as Talty’s in Lissycasey, Trump Hotel in Doonbeg, among others.
Traditionally, the mini marathon alternated between a route from Carrigaholt to Kilkee and a second route from Doonbeg to Kilrush to Kilkee every three years; a couple of years ago, the West Clare Cancer Centre made a change to utilise the Wild Atlantic Way and incorporate it into the event.
Willie added: “I think the lockdown has allowed us to recognise people around us that we didn’t before. We realised last year that we had people from West Clare in Australia, the USA, England … and they’re all getting involved.”
After almost 25 years of providing much-needed services, Willie said that while charity regulations have changed quite a bit, he is still confident that the centre’s policies are vigilant and up to date, thanks to the efforts of policy administrators Helen Cunningham and Catherine Howard.
He emphasised the importance of accountability in a charity that deals with people’s loved ones on a day-to-day basis; it is because of this accountability that the centre no longer relies solely on fundraisers to keep its doors open.
“In 2008, we took the event back to Carrigaholt and 1200 people took part. It raised €225,000, and after all these years we’ve just surpassed the €5,000,000 mark.”
Those interested can register at westclarecancercentre.ie at €20 per person; due to unique bib numbers for the event, registration must be completed one person at a time.