West Limerick Athletics Club co-hosts virtual community run with Newcastle West Camogie Club and Adare 10k

West Limerick Athletics Club has teamed up with others to host a virtual community run taking place all throughout the month of July. Pictured above is the advertisement for the event.

West Limerick Athletics Club co-hosts virtual community run with Newcastle West Camogie Club and Adare 10k

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Sophia DiBattista

To make up for lost time and charity fundraisers, the West Limerick Athletics Club has teamed up with Newcastle West Camogie Club and Adare 10k to organise a Community Run for the month of July.

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West Limerick Athletics Club was founded in 1979 and gained affiliation with Athletics Ireland Association. It currently has over 200 members and caters to members of all abilities. The members are from all around Limerick city and county.

The club usually trains on Tuesday evenings in the Demesne, Newcastle West at 6pm for juveniles and 7pm for adults and the Fit for life group. Unfortunately, once Covid-19 struck, they have not been able to meet up with their members or anyone else interested in joining. Instead, to keep their momentum thriving and local charities afloat, the club has come up with this virtual community run.

By using MyRunResults.com to track every runner’s distance, people from across the county will be able to participate in the West Limerick Athletics Club’s initiative. Starting Wednesday, July 1, runners will be able to complete as much of a distance as they want throughout the entire month of July in order to help fundraise for some deserving charities. This event is also hosted by the Adare 10k team and Newcastle West Camogie Club.

The charity partners for this fundraiser include The Friends of St. Ita’s Community Hospital, Deel Animal Action Group and The Brothers of Charity. All across the county and world, charities and non-profits have been hit extremely hard. Without fundraising events, their financial statuses have become difficult to maintain. The West Limerick Athletics Club had to help out, and as a result, this virtual race was born.

All people need to do is register on the MyRunResults website, donate €10 with a fee and choose which charity to put the money towards. There is an option to purchase a t-shirt, singlet or medal as well. These products will be sent out in August once the run is finished.

Kevin O’Donoghue from the West Limerick Athletics Club spoke about helping out the charity partners saying, “We wanted to try and help so we contacted our Charity partners, The Friends of St.Itas Community Hospital, Deel Animal Action Group and The Brothers of Charity.

We then set up the West Limerick A.C. Virtual Community Walk/Run. A person can donate €10 and if they choose they can run or walk a variety of distances (1k, 2k,5k, 10, 10 miles, half marathon). The person registers once and can do one or all of the distances. they then upload their own results to MyRunResults website. There is an option of purchasing a commemorative medal and t-shirt. These get posted out in August after the event.”

“We currently have just over 100 people registered so have €1000 raised for the charities so far.”

Kevin also discussed the Newcastle West Camogie Club joining their initiative by organising a GoFundMe page. He said, “We were also delighted when Newcastle West Camogie Club teamed up with us to have their own fundraiser for the same three charities.

Pictured is the logo for the Newcastle West Camogie Club.

The Newcastle West Senior and Intermediate Camogie teams are aiming to run, walk and cycle 1000km over a 10 day period, starting on Monday June 22nd and concluding on Wednesday, July 1st. They have raised nearly €1000 as well.”

“Overall we all wanted to help support those that need our support, to help those more vunerable and give back to our communities,” Kevin concluded.

About the Charity Partners:

The Brothers of Charity

At the Brothers of Charity Services, Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West and Feohanagh, workers provide day and residential services for adults with an intellectual disability in West Limerick. They currently provide services for 74 people and their families. 

In order to ensure a quality service, they rely on the generosity of the local community in relation to fundraisers throughout the year. Unfortunately due to the Covid-19 restrictions they have had to close their Day Services since mid-March with their people having to stay at home. 

Deel Animal Action Group

Deel Animal Action Group, located in Newcastle West, focuses on the welfare of its animals. It hopes to either have their furry friends get adopted by a loving home or fostered by kind individuals. The service has dogs, cats and other types of pets for anyone to enjoy, and now they need as much help as possible.

St. Ita’s Day Care Centre

St. Ita’s Day Care Centre consists of 23 residential homes for elderly and vulnerable adults. The centre supports the residents in a community setting. The Day Care centre also operated two open days, where up to 60 people from our local community could have lunch and enjoy the centre’s activities. Due to Covid-19 social distancing restrictions, the Day Care Centre has been forced to close its open days. 

To register and donate, click here.

To donate to the GoFundMe Page, click here.

For more stories on Limerick fundraisers, click here.