Belfast Marathon Relay 2019

Our relay runners - 10 people in all -  are drawn from our local community.  Whist some of the team regularly run, there are more than a few of us that have barely run the length of themselves until recently!  We are all training hard, battling injury, bad weather, and managing time pressures to be able to run the Belfast Marathon Relay for local good causes.  Come 5th May and the starting gun, many of us will be nervous, but determined to complete the marathon.  As we cross the finish line, we hope that we have raised much needed funds for two causes close to our heart.

(1) At Derrytresk GAC, We hope to purchase outdoor play park for children. We have just about got the climbing frames etc, but need money for the installation and safety surfaces, which don't come cheap. We have achieved much with your help, but could do so much more. Help us achieve our goals, and have a local play park for your local children to enjoy. Its taken us NINE years to get to this point. With your help we will get to the finish line quicker.

(2) A local family  are supported by Narcolepsy Ireland, http://narcolepsyireland.org/  This life limiting People with narcolepsy are your friends, neighbours. Maybe one of your children have it but are undiagnosed. Read Elaine's story:
"At 14, Elaine had her first cataplexy attack: “After getting angry with my brother as I was sweeping the kitchen floor, my knees buckled and I slid down the brush to the floor,” A trip to the doctor put it down to attention seeking. She recalls. “I thought I was going crazy. I stayed in my room a lot of the time, getting up to eat.” Her family presumed she was studying – but in fact, because of the chronic insomnia linked to her condition, Elaine was often napping. Often her study was done late at night between 10pm and 3am. She also napped at lunchtime and would go to bed straight after school, she recalls.

She managed – but she found it difficult to manage college life: “I began missing morning lectures and slept through lunch lectures,” she recalls, adding however that she again took advantage of her regular insomnia to study. It didn’t work out, however, and she eventually left college and found a job in a factory.

Elaine was 22 before a TV programme on sleep disorders helped her connect the dots. She was referred to a sleep specialist who diagnosed narcolepsy and prescribed medication. The medication meant that Elaine’s EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness)improved enough to hold down a job. After marriage at 24 and the birth of her first child, her condition forced her to give up her job. “I needed the little energy I had to look after my son,” she recalls.

Narcolepsy affects your quality of life comparable to Parkinson’s and Epilepsy. Many more children like Elaine go undiagnosed and struggle with everyday life. With your help we will afford to have pamphlets printed for all schools and Doctors surgeries. We can arrange a get togethers ...giving support to those with Narcolepsy and their families helping them source the right Doctors and medication. We want to raise Narcolepsy Awareness and get it recognised for what it truly is: a debilitating lifelong Illness without a cure.

So please, donate whatever you can - even a small amount can make a difference.  It motivates our two teams to get through the pain barrier, and more importantly provides much needed support for these two great causes.  So, as we pass the baton to each other on Marathon day, we hope we can also pass the baton to you to support us.  Thank You