May date for Dublin 15 race

ATHLETICS Ireland has announced that the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown will host the Grant Thornton Corporate 5k Team Challenge on Wednesday, May 13.

The flagship event will once again take place in the Dublin Docklands on Tuesday, September 1. Aimed at encouraging social running amongst the business community, the event welcomes both seasoned runners as well as beginners.

The National Sports Campus event will offer participants a chance to experience the Campus and its excellent sports facilities first hand. Each run will be a team event and a minimum of four participants will enter with team members’ times combined to determine the winner.

The Corporate Challenge is organised by Athletics Ireland who are based in Santry and whose mission is to support and develop the Irish athletes of all ages, disciplines and abilities.

Sinéad O’Donovan of Grant Thornton said the Corporate Challenge was a great opportunity to build team spirit and create a sense of healthy competition.

“We are delighted to partner with Athletics Ireland and to support the work they do to promote fitness and make a difference to young promising athletes,

? she said.

“In addition, it’s a great opportunity to raise some funds for charity and this year, 10 per cent of each entry fee to each Challenge will go to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) to support the work it is doing for children and families.

?

David Conway, Chief Executive at National Sports Campus, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Grant Thornton 5k run to the National Sports Campus and to support the wonderful work done by their nominated charity ISPCC and by Athletics Ireland.

“I would like to invite all corporates in the Dublin 15 area to enter a team and to enjoy a great evening of exercise and fun.

?

Tony Lambert, CEO Fingal Dublin Chambers, described the event as an opportunity for the 5,500 businesses in the Fingal region to network, connect and engage in a relaxed social sporting event.

“Employers can help improve the fitness of their staff by encouraging them to train and partake in this race which will be beneficial all-round in terms of overall wellness and improved productivity,

? he said.

Chief Executive of Athletics Ireland, John Foley, said his association has a core strategic objective to promote health and fitness in the population as a whole.

“This event enables us to reach beyond our core membership into the business community by encouraging them to focus on a fitness programme which targets a 5k run; a good starter point for novice runners,

? he added.

Entry fee for the Corporate Challenge is

?¬100 for a team of four, all events are chipp timed for accuracy and there is a t-shirt and goody bag for all participates.

Participants are encouraged to fundraise for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) through mycharity.ie.

Event Ambassador, Catherina McKiernan, said there was a great buzz and atmosphere on last year’s run.

“While there was a certain competitive edge to it, there was a little more banter than what I would be use to at the start of a race,

? she added.

To ENTER a team and download Catherina McKiernan’s training programme visit grantthorntoncorporatechallenge.ie.