TD delighted to finish marathon in one piece

Deputy Damien English was celebrating this week after completing the Dublin City Marathon in just over four hours on Monday. The Meath TD was tired and sore, but delighted to have achieved a time of four hours and 16 minutes in the gruelling 26 miles event. “It was a good day out. I didn’t have an awful lot of time to train, so I am delighted to finished it,” he said. Deputy English, who participated in the event to raise funds for the suicide prevention and awareness charity, SoSad, was one of eleven oireachtas members to compete in the event. “A few of us with varying levels of fitness decided to get together back in January and set ourselves the challenge of finishing the Dublin Marathon. We have been training since then and a great sense of camaraderie has developed within the group,” said Deputy English. “We had all been really looking forward to the day even though it was a big challenge to complete the event. All of us may have run for elections in the past but this was the most demanding race any of us had ever undertaken!” “More importantly several great charities and good causes will benefit,” he said. Deputy English ran the marathon with his party colleague, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, the former Kerry footballer. “It was a perfect day for it, although I’m hobbling around today,” he said yesterday (Tuesday). The Meath TD had run a marathon a few years ago, but was injured during the race and had to hobble over the finish line, so was delighted to finish in good form on Monday. He said yesterday that he wouldn’t commit to running another marathon just yet, but maybe in a few weeks, when the pain was forgotten, he might consider it. The training and conditioning of the participating TDs and senators was expertly overseen by Frank Greally of the Irish Runner Magazine. The group held their first training session back in January which consisted of running just one side of Merrion Square, approximately 250 metres. By April, the group were doing 10 laps of the square and then started to use the Women’s Mini Marathon 10 Km course to ensure they were fully prepared for race day. The other members who took part were Barry Andrews TD, (Lion’s Club Pakistan Flood Relief), Lucinda Creighton TD, (Friends of St Lukes), Jimmy Deenihan TD, (Cuan Mhuire), Frank Feighan TD, (Irish Kidney Association), Senator Brian O’Domhaill, (Donegal Hospice), Mary Upton TD, (Cystic Fibrosis), James Reilly TD, (Prosper Fingal and Concern-Haiti), Senator Nicky McFadden (South West Meath Hospice), Senator Fidelma Healy Eames, (Cystic Fibrosis Galway Hospital Project) and Senator Cecilia Keaveney, (Friends of Letterkenny General Hospital). Throughout the year, the group received advice on diet from Freda Molamphy, footwear from Asher Senyk of Runways Ireland, as well as injury prevention, stretching and core strengthening from Sinead Moffett, Chartered Physiotherapist.