Longford hosts successful Canal Run
The marathon consists of eight loops of the Canal
The organisers of the Longford Canal Run were commended at the April meeting of Longford Municipal District councillors.
The annual event has consistently grown since the first time runners assembled on the banks of the Royal Canal in 2015.
The brainchild of Brendan Doyle the marathon consists of eight loops of the Canal, with each loop just over 5km. The weather for the 2024 run was hotter than most.
Longford Canal Run is organised by a family of runners who knows what runners want in a race.
The flat, fast run is considered a great course to achieve a personal best. It's loops the 5.2km and offers spectators a great view of the runners.
Speaking of the event at the April meeting of Longford MD Cllr Gerry Warnock thanked the executive for their work on the maintenance of the canal in preparation for the event.
Addressing the acting senior executive engineer of Longford MD, David McNiff, he said: “It was very successful. The job of work that all involved did in the day leading up to the event is spectacular.
The Canal walk looked like a picture postcard. We definitely put our best foot forward. It was a very important event for the town, up on 1,000 people came into our town.”
Cllr Warnock said the work by the local authority was well received: “I received correspondence from the organisers relaying their sincere thanks for the support and for the work of the outdoor staff did on the canal.”
Cllr Peggy Nolan said the Longford Canal Run has many benefits for the town: “I was out in Longford after the run was completed and the number of people getting something to eat, shopping and just enjoying the amenities of the town was incredible. I want to complement Gerry, he has been so supportive of the run since the beginning.
“It's something that we can build on. It has national recognition and has a clear economic dividend for the town. The weather really added to it. Well done to the organisers. We should do everything we can to help them build on the success.”
Speaking to the Leader coordinator Brendan Doyle said the race had been building in popularity over the years: “This year we had approximately 750 runners. We have been organising Longford Canal Run since 2014. We missed a year in 2019 to allow for the work on the new surface was on the canal. We then missed out in '20 and '21 due to Covid.”
“The event offers four races to participants: a 10k, a half marathon (21k), a full marathon (42km) and a 53k ultramarathon.”
Brendan said the event was a great success: “Patryk Prusak was first local man in the half marathon. He received the Noel Mc Geeney perpetual cup. It was presented by Noel's daughter Edel McGeeney and his grandson David Sheridan.”