Ballymun Challenge a massive triumph for local community

RUN or walk four miles every four hours for 48 hours – that was the challenge taken up by over seventy local residents at the third annual Ballymun Challenge which started on Friday morning (Feb 9th) at 10am and ended on Saturday morning (10th) with a mass walk around the community.

“We used to go off to these others challenges like the Hell and Back, and then we thought why not have one of our own and make it a community thing?” said organiser Alan Kinsella, who runs a gym in the locality.

“We then decided to use the challenge to raise funds for local charities.

“Because so many people from Ballumun had used its services, St Francis Hospice was our charity the first year.

“We had 32 signing up and we raised €17,000.

“A year later, we raised €30,000 for Féileacáin (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support) with 37 taking on the challenge.

“This year, we’ve had seventy signing up and we decided to divide any funds we raised between three local charities concerned with the mental health of children  and young people – the Ballymun Child and Family Resource Centre, What’sUp and YAP.”

With the Trinity Comprehensive gym as basecamp, eveyone was looking lively as they set off for the first four-mile outing at 2pm on Friday afternoon.

A quartet of runners from Ballymun AC took about 33 minutes to complete the four miles, followed by other runners, groups of walkers, and fifteen or so cyclists whose target was 20km each four hours.

Most were back at basecamp for rest and refreshments after about 70 minutes, given them well over two hours to recuperate before setting off again.

“It gets tougher as the weekend goes on – we set off at 2pm, 6pm, 10pm and then 2am, 6am and 10am, with the 2am slot the hardest,” said Kinsella, who was completing the challenge himself.

The entire community was supporting the heroic efforts of the runners, walkers and cyclists.

“It’s great going through the community with the people cheering us and the cars beeping,” said Kinsella.

By noon on Sunday, February 11, the challenge was over with over €22,000 already raised.

Here’s to next year!