AS the town celebrated the success of Spooktacular number 12, organisers took a moment to pause and remember Martin Dillon.
Martin, pictured below, was one of the Spooks main founders a man who fought hard to get the event up and running. He was a good runner and loved to encourage others – especially those who lacked confidence – to get out and try their best.
From humble beginnings the Spook is now a sellout event. One of the reasons it flourishes is because when you run an event like the Spook, other politics just disappear. One mile into the run the biggest salary in town is equal to the smallest, the best education means the same as a basic one, one step in my shoes is equal to a step in yours. A friendly smile from a stranger when you’re struggling, a supportive word when you feel like giving up makes the usual boundaries dissolve.
Now that it has reached sellout status, you may think that the well oiled machine has a fancy setting behind the scenes…….not quite!! The majority of the committee meetings took place after club training in the tiny pavilion office at the side of the track; all the luxury of a portable boiler and polystyrene cups of tea, a dozen adults squashed in between stacks of traffic cones, and boxes of sports equipment.
If only you could see it now Martin… This year premiered the mini Spook; where the little folk were welcomed to their very own Friday night event; where they get to stay up late and run under the dark night sky, the town a flurry of people, bright lights, costumes, music, laughter…… How amazing is that? To see the Spook through the eyes of a child, and to give the youth a positive association with running. What a legacy you left us with..…
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