Marathon man now midway through eight races for charity
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A MAN whose family received “irreplaceable” support from the Tallaght Cancer Support Group (TCSG) when his father-in-law passed away in February is now midway through an eight-marathon challenge to raise funds for the charity, which will see him compete in four marathons this weekend.
Patrick Thompson (37), who is originally from Killinarden and now lives in Clondalkin, first started running in 2014 using a Couch to 5k programme and since then he has consistently challenged his running ability which has gone from strength to strength.
Patrick Thompson began his marathon running with a Couch to 5k get fit programme
Patrick’s eight-marathon challenge began with the Kerry’s Eye Tralee Marathon in March, and he has since run in the Belfast City Marathon and the Wexford Marathon, and he will embark on four marathons on consecutive days in Donegal this weekend, followed by the Dublin Marathon in October.
The services that the Tallaght Cancer Support Group offered were “irreplaceable” for Patrick and his family when his father-in-law Kevin Morton died as a result of the disease in February, so he decided to raise funds for the volunteer-run service through his passion for marathon running.
Patrick told The Echo: “[When my father-in-law died] it brought home how important groups like the Tallaght Cancer Support Group are.
“Their work is irreplaceable, and they do everything as volunteers because they know how challenging cancer is to deal with as an illness itself and the loss [it can cause].”
Now Patrick, who works as a process technician for Pfizer, is training in advance of competing in four marathons across four consecutive days at the Extreme North Quadrathon in Donegal this weekend, from Thursday, August 16, to Sunday, August 19.
“I’ve been doing a lot of training and I did my personal best time at the Belfast City Marathon,” Patrick said.
“Now I’ve been trying to put hill and mountain running in my training.”
Sense of accomplishment
Describing how his passion for marathon running hasn’t waned despite running marathons in quick succession for TCSG, Patrick said: “There’s a sense of accomplishment when I finish a marathon and all I can think is, ‘What can I do next?’
“[Running so many marathons] is daunting but I’ve come so far from Couch to 5k.
“I’m focusing on one marathon at a time, I break them down into four 10ks.”
He added: “The preparation is going well, now it’s just a case of getting out there and doing it.”
Patrick is hoping to raise €5,000 for TCSG, and donations can be made to his online donation page at https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11367149_8-marathons-in-8-months-for-tallaght-cancer-support.html
