Dundalk's Marist 5k Run and Family Fun Event

St. Mary’s College Dundalk are holding their sixth annual 5K Run & Family Fun Event on Friday the 10th of May at 7pm.

This is a chipped timed event with a commemorative Marist medal. Every finisher will receive a goody bag and will be entered into our sponsor’s raffle.

The first 300 registered will get a bespoke Marist 5K run t-shirt and there will also be trophies and cash prizes for the first three finishers in the male & female categories.

Their goal is to raise funds to provide the best possible educational experience for their students, whilst also promoting a healthy lifestyle, positive mental health and well-being amongst the school population and the wider community.

Last year they had a large crowd running the event, with nearly 900 participants and this year they hope to break this number again.

All these runners also bring along a large number of friends and family to spectate and cheer everyone on.

All this means they generally have a huge crowd, well in excess of 1,200 people, on the evening around the school with many young kids there to cheer on parents and get involved in the whole event. It makes for a fantastic family friendly evening.

A spokesperson for the school said: “This year’s event is a special event for us as we have partnered with another amazing charity this year. This year’s charity means a lot to us and has been very good to some within our Marist community.

“The charity we teamed up with this year is 'Aoibheann's Pink Tie, National Children's Cancer Charity'.

“As per previous years we are partnering up with a charity that embodies our school ethos.

“Aoibheann’s Pink Tie National Children’s Cancer Charity was set up in 2010 by Mick Rochford and Jimmy Norman after the death of Jimmy’s daughter Aoibheann from a rare type of cancer.

“She was only eight years old. At Aoibheann’s funeral the men wore pink ties so the name Aoibheann’s Pink Tie was formed in her memory to remedy the lack of support to other families on the ward battling cancer.

“This charity means a huge amount to the college as this charity has been very kind and supportive to one of our students and his family during this difficult time.

“We have also teamed up again with Niall Fergus from Mini Athletics to hold the Mini Athletics Kids Fun Run which will take place on the night too.

The Mini Athletics Kids Fun Run will take place once the 5K run starts, at about 7.05, and will allow kids the chance to participate in a fun run and receive a medal and goodie bag. This is a free event which kids can join on the evening.”

This year they have also welcomed Gemma from Fit Kids Fit Teens. Gemma and her team will be organising fun dance classes and games for the kids who are there supporting parents and getting involved in all the various fun activities they have going on for the evening.

As per last year the school intend to generate a larger community feel to the event. They will have a number of refreshment options for both before & after the race. Coffee from Brew Crew Coffee; Hot food from Rawk Foods; Ice Cream from the Parents Council; Sweet Treats from McAteers Food House, and lots more too.

So get your running shoes on and join the Marist on Friday May 10th at 7pm for their Marist 5K Run & Family Fun Event.
For more information, check out their social media pages. Online registration is now open at https://register.enthuse.com
/ps/event/Marist5k2023