Mullingar Half Marathon proves a major success

The AON Mullingar Half Marathon on St Patrick’s Day proved another overwhelming success, with over 1,500 participants completing the event and over €30,000 raised for the local charity TEAM (Temporary Emergency Accommodation Mullingar).

The race was capped at 1,800 and registration was full in advance which underlines just how popular the event has become. The race was won by West Waterford AC runner Evan Fotzgerald in a time of 1:07:28, with Jake O’Regan (St John’s AC) second in a time of 1:07:31. In third place was Ronan Potterton (1:09:27).

Mullingar Harriers was well represented on the day and the first athlete home was Dan Morris in sixth place in a time of 1:12:38. He was followed by James Keegan in seventh position (1:14:27).

Pat Keating, Race Director, said this year’s event proved a wonderful success and already they expect it will be even more popular next year. Title sponsor was Aon Insurance and the other main sponsors included O.R.S. Hydration Ireland (Hydration Partner) and Colton Motors Mullingar (Vehicle Partner).

“We're especially indebted to all the volunteers and to all the sponsors and equally then to the Gardaí, the Civil Defence and Westmeath County Council, all of which gave major help to us on the day. We were lucky with the weather, it was a fine day. We had about 1,520 who finished, which was higher than we had had on previous years.

We're pleased with that and we'll be hoping to maybe increase the numbers again next year. We did get 1,800 registered, so we expect to be able to give over €30,000 to TEAM. But we won't know until we deal with the various payments that have to go out.”

He said there was great interest in the event, not just locally but from outside Westmeath.

“There’s plenty of outside and overseas interest. It's a popular race around the country and a huge local support also. This is 10 years of it now, so it has really established itself; it's probably one of the top half marathons around.”

Pat acknowledged the various committee members: Martin Marshall, Terry Toll, Mary Hughes, Linda Magee, Deputy Robert Troy, Roger Nicholson, Declan Leonard, Grace Kelly, Mary Kelly, Padraig Murtagh, Berty Dunne and Majella Mohan (AON).

Everyone who helped bring this event to fruition and the key supporters were thanked. Their hard work and commitment ensured it was a successful event.

The committee is also extremely grateful to the event partners and supporters: Annebrook Hotel; Lidl Ireland, Westmeath County Council; Moo’d Ice Cream / O’Brien’s Centra; An Garda Síochána; Value Centre Mullingar; Westmeath Civil Defence; Waterways Ireland; COLAS; Joint Venture; Mullingar Sub Aqua Club; Mulleadys Waste and C Lynch Waste Management; Lakeland Wheelers; Fox’s Fruit and Veg; Mullingar Arts Centre.

Deputy Robert Troy, one of the founding members, said the whole idea around the event is to bring people to Mullingar to showcase the town on St Patrick's Day and to raise funds for local charities.

“It’s great that we had a new committee involved this year; they brought new energy to it and it’s getting stronger. There is massive interest in the race and there was no difficulty securing sponsorship. It’s a very positive event for Mullingar,” he remarked.

The committee is proud to continue to raise funds for TEAM which was founded by a group of people from Mullingar who had the vision to identify the need for a space where homeless women and children could feel safe and secure. Initially, it catered for homeless women and children from the Mullingar area, but over the years the services have expanded to cater to the Midland counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath.

The flat course is ideal for both first-time half marathoners and those aiming for a personal best, unfolded through the town center and along the Royal Canal, concluding in the Mullingar Town Park.