€1,600 is raised for Spina Bifida from Marathon to Iron Man run
By Aideen O'Flaherty
OVER 200 people crossed the finish line of the Marathon Man to Iron Man Family Fun Run in Corkagh Park on Sunday in aid of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland, with the fully accessible event raising €1,600 for the charity.
The family fun run, now in its second year, is the brainchild of Jobstown man Stephen Martin (36) who has been raising money for the charity for over a year, after his friend Anthony Keogh’s daughter Hannah (3), from Kiltipper in Tallaght, was born with spina bifida.
Stephen Martin and his daughter Libby
Spina Bifida is the result of incomplete spinal development in the womb, and the condition can cause incontinence, mobility issues, pressure sores and social challenges in those affected.
This year’s Marathon Man to Ironman Family Fun Run was a fully inclusive affair, with it taking place on a flatter, more wheelchair accessible 5k and 2.5k route in Corkagh Park.
Stephen, who also runs Marathon Man to Ironman, told The Echo: “The atmosphere was brilliant, with athletes and wheelchair users running side-by-side.”
He added: “We are absolutely delighted with the amount of money that was raised.”
Not one to rest on his laurels, Stephen will also be taking on his own challenge to raise funds for the charity when he will embark on ten Dublin-based half-Ironman events in ten days this month.
Athletes at the start of the fun run in Corkagh Park on Sunday
The challenge will cover 19k of swimming, 900k of cycling and 211k of running.
Talking about how training is going, Stephen said: “Everything is looking good – I’m looking forward to getting started.
“It’s going to be dog rough, but I’ll take a lot from looking at some of our finishers who took on the Marathon Man to Ironman Family Fun Run on Sunday, some of whom were told they’d never walk – but they still walked and ran over the finish line.”
For further details about Stephen’s challenge, visit the Marathon Man to Ironman Facebook page.
