Gerard McGrath looking forward to his run in the Belfast Marathon taking his tally to eigthy but he wants to run a hundred
AN EDERNEY runner is going the extra mile, or 26 miles and 385 yards to be precise on Bank holiday Monday, but as they say it is ‘not his first rodeo’, but rather he is donning the trainers for the 80th time.
Gerard McGrath, originally from Lettercran, Pettigo will run the Belfast marathon on May 6 for the 15th consecutive year and will reach an historic milestone in the process. Gerard explains how he first got into running.
“I started about 15 years ago, I’ve always kept myself fit and when I started I got through it handy enough and just kept doing it. I enjoy it, it is relaxing. I enjoy the quiet.”
As part of his extensive marathon career Gerard has travelled to London, Wales, the Isle of Mann and down South including Dublin, Connemara and Tipperary.
“Dublin would be one of my favourites and I had never missed it until last year when I had an injury.
“I can get through them handy enough and always finish strong in the second half of the marathon.
“Belfast is reasonably flat, while around Connemara that would be tough, there’s nothing easy about there, there’s also one in Tipperary and that’s awful tough.”
To say that Gerard gets through the marathon ‘handy enough’ would be an understatement as he regularly completes the races with a time between 3 hours and 10 minutes and 3 hours and 15 minutes. In fact such is the stamina and fitness level of the man, less than a month ago he completed his 78 and 79th marathons in the space of two days and only two minutes difference in times.
In order to keep in good shape Gerard would run 40 to 50 miles a week around Ederney, mostly on his own, but occasionally will run with members of Ballyshannon running club. In the immediate future Gerard only has eyes on the Belfast marathon, a race he always leaves for milestones, but admits he wants to reach 100 before he hangs up the running shoes.
“I always keep the big milestones for Belfast. I did the 50th in Belfast and the 70th in Belfast and now I’m doing the 80th in Belfast and hopefully I will do the 100th there.
“I want to get over 100 and then go into longer distances. That would mean anything up from 100 miles though it is over a couple of days and they’re not as competitive. In a marathon it is tougher you’re always fighting against the clock, but I suppose I have been lucky and had nothing really bad with injuries.”
In running this year’s Belfast marathon Gerard will be raising money for the North West Hospice, what he views as a very worthwhile cause.
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