A Tallaght woman is planning on running the VHI mini marathon in full combat gear and 30lbs of weight on her back.
Aoife Curran (32) is a member of the Irish Defence Forces and is running the mini marathon on the June 3 in aid of CMRF Crumlin.
Aoife is carrying the weight on her back as it is the weight of her three-year-old son, Oliver.
She said she is running the marathon for CMRF Crumlin because of the excellent care she received when she brought Oliver there.
“I’ve visited Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital with Oliver in the past, thankfully for nothing serious, and the care he received was second to none,” she said.
“I didn’t think twice about who I would run the mini marathon for because I believe every sick child deserves a diagnosis and the best possible outcome.”
Aoife is preparing for the marathon with a seven-week programme consisting of training sessions on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“I do a run varying in distance and intensity with Wednesday normally being the day I run in combat gear,” she said.
“Tuesday and Thursdays are a strength workout in the gym and Saturdays are used as a recovery session. Aside from the physical preparation, I am also raising awareness of what I’m doing on social media to try maximize awareness of CMRF Crumlin. Oliver has been helping me in my training by cheering me on and sometimes looking for piggy backs.”
Aoife hopes to raise €500 in her run. CMRF Crumlin staff and volunteers will be cheering on Aoife and the rest of #TeamCrumlin on June 3.
“As a parent, you always want your child to be happy and when they are sick you always want to make them better and would happily take the illness yourself,” she said.
“I can only imagine the frustration of having a very unwell child who requires a prolonged stay in hospital especially while waiting on a diagnosis of their child’s illness.
“Research definitely brings hope to people. Research creates understanding of how disease works and if we understand it, we can learn how to fight and cure it.”
