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TEAM CARRIE MARATHON RUNNERS

Almost 1000 marathons have passed over the line.

Team Carrie Marathon Runners Ireland was established in 2010 by international athlete David Carrie in order to help those locally who always wanted to complete a marathon. He created a unique 22 week training programme for all levels of ability to get everyone over the finish line.

It has been a Journey

We are 10 years in the making.

This thriving community group has grown year on year – to over 154 athletes that completed the Dublin City Marathon in 2014, as well as other events – and have to date raised in excess of €190,000 for local charities including the Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre in Drogheda, Co. Louth, Ireland.

Carrying us across the line!

We start as a team and finish as a team.

The Team Carrie ‘Cheer Zone’ will always be seen 150 meters from the finish line of the races, where we cheer on every last team member who crosses the line. As members of the team finish a race they join the cheer zone.

Team Carrie has an ethos they abide by and that is “Carrie us across the line”. In other words, we wait until everyone is finished as every last athlete is part of the team whether they finish first or last. We all wear the same t-shirt and medal with pride at the end of a race.

The Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre.

One of the reason’s why.

One of the most important aspects of Team Carrie’s mission is the fact that they have fund-raised over €190,000 over the past five years for various charities and most notably The Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre in Drogheda.

Cancer support is close to the hearts of members of the team for various reasons. The disease has touched almost every member of the team in some way either personally or through a friend, family member or someone in their close knit circle.

The monies raised over the years have gone to good use by supporting charities such as the Gary Kelly Centre who do so much for others. They rely on donations from groups such as Team Carrie to keep their doors open.

Team Carrie History

Brainchild of international marathon runner David Carrie.

David very quickly became aware of the personal value and sense of achievement he got from helping others, based on his experiences as a runner, by guiding them through a marathon to achieve their goals.

David decided that he wanted to do something similar in his home village of Dunleer – to train a group of people with little or no running experience to complete a marathon irrespective of age or running ability over a 22 week training programme that he himself had tried and tested over the years.

In 2010 Team Carrie was established and launched on LMFM radio on Gerry Kelly’s Late Lunch Show and has grown each year from 24 the first year to 154 people in 2015 completing the marathon in the Team Carrie colours.

Team Carrie was the brainchild of International Runner and Athlete David Carrie who is a postman in his everyday life and resident of Dunleer in Mid-County Louth. David was and is a long distance runner and competed at senior and international levels in Ireland. Over the years David encountered many people who said “I would love to be able to do a marathon” and that is where the notion began.

David was invited by Dublin City Marathon organisers to become a pace athlete for the marathon in 2009. During the course of his training David had to teach himself the discipline of slowing his pace in order to get others across the line in their aspired times.

Team Carrie is a team of runners that have trained for and part taken in the SSE Airtricity Marathon over the last 10 year period. As vital part of the team is support crew in the background who are always there on hand to provide a much needed cup of tea after training under the guidance of Ian Pat Carroll who has been a member of TC from the outset.

Towards the end of the 22 weeks of training the long training runs and see TC heading for the roads of Gaulstown, Grangebellew and Clogherhead and Saturday on Sunday mornings. The unwritten rule is that the team support each other on both days providing much needed water for re hydration, gels and supplies.

In recent times the food stop at Port Beach has seen a high level of competition between the TC member at their supply stop and seen the introduction of “Stall of the season” award. All a bit of banter and good natured fun.

Our friend Mal Reilly

Fundraiser, fun man, singer, entertainer, athlete, popular, golfer, determined, kind, husband, dad, brother, son….heart of gold.

Gone was a man who lived life as everyone should – for the moment.

Living with Cystic Fibrosis all his life, Mal (38) never surrendered to it. It did hold him like handcuffs at times, but when he soared, he soared.

Four years ago, he ran the Dublin City marathon. Simply awesome.

He was inspired by the Team Carrie attitude, a group set up by David Carrie eight years ago to allow people the chance to fulfil a dream – running a marathon.

He went on to even write a song about them.