West of Ireland Women's Mini Marathon

In blistering sunshine and amid a sea of enthusiasm and energy, 4,000 women ran, jogged, walked and strolled the 10km route in the second annual Western People West of Ireland Women's Mini Marathon in Castlebar. Undoubtedly, the event was a hugely enjoyable occasion for one and all, with massive credit due to each and every person who played a part in bringing the Mini Marathon to fruition. Special mention must be given to event co-organisers Mayo Sports Partnership and all their team for their impressive professionalism towards the whole event.


On Sunday, May 1, Castlebar was most definitely the place to be as women from all over Mayo, the West and beyond congregated for what was undoubtedly an occasion to remember. On stage, Frank Fahy set the tone of the day as he invited the thousands of participants to come forward and partake in a fun-filled and action-packed warm-up. Castlebar Town Mayor Ger Deere was beaming with excitement as he stood on stage and welcomed the enormous crowd that stood before him. And, when An Taoiseach Enda Kenny stepped onto the stage to wish the women the very best of luck, the welcome he received and the atmosphere all around the Mall was simply electric.

For some, the Mini Marathon was a competitive event, with the best of the best vying for the number one spot. And for Castlebar lady Colette Touhy, Sunday was certainly her time to shine.

A member of Mayo Athletics Club (AC), Colette finished the race in 39 minutes and 27 seconds, earning herself pride of place on the podium. Second on the day was Derval Devaney from Westport, also a member of Mayo AC, who completed the Mini Marathon in 40 minutes and 51 seconds.

Breaffy's Angela O'Connor (Mayo AC) was third on Sunday with a time of 41 minutes, while Marie Johnston - a native of Cloonacool and running with Sligo AC - finished in 42 minutes and 17 seconds. From Castlebar - and once again running with Mayo AC - Sarah Syron was fifth with a time of 43 minutes and two seconds, while Rosie Hynes from Swinford AC was sixth with a time of 43 minutes and 32 seconds.

Clearly, there were many participants on the day who were out to record a new personal best and perhaps earn themselves a place in the winners' enclosure. For many more however, the Western People Mini Marathon was just about bringing a group of friends or family members together for a fun day out.

Of course, for the majority of participants, the Mini Marathon represented so much more. It was about raising money for a charity close to their hearts and about giving something back to an organisation that had done so much to make their lives - or the lives of a loved one - that little bit easier.

The inaugural Western People Women's Mini Marathon in May 2010 was a phenomenal success, with upwards of 3,000 women taking part. This year, the number of entries increased even further and Castlebar was absolutely buzzing on Sunday, as the County Town welcomed visitors from Mayo, various parts of Ireland, and indeed as far afield as the US and Africa.

Organised by the Western People, in association with the team at the Mayo Sports Partnership, the second annual Women's Mini Marathon created an ideal opportunity for charities across the West to raise much-needed funds for their causes. In 2010, an estimated half a million euro was raised for various charities and no doubt, that figure will have been exceeded this year.

In 2010, the event surpassed all expectations and this year, the Western People West of Ireland Women's Mini Marathon did it all over again. From the organisation of the event to the numbers participating and from the volunteerism on the day to the charities benefitting from the event, there's one thing for certain - the Western People Mini Marathon ticked all the boxes.

Well done to each and every person who played a part on Sunday...here's to another tremendous occasion in 2012!