Irish Examiner
Wednesday 9 May 2012
By Eoin English
They say marriage is a marathon, not a sprint. Now RTE’s sports broadcaster Jacqui Hurley is set to combine the two in a bank holiday weekend tinged with sadness.
The co-presenter of Radio One’s Sunday Sport is set to tie the knot on the Saturday of the June bank holiday weekend. But instead of jetting off on honeymoon, Jacqui will tog out on the Monday to run a leg of the Cork City Marathon in memory of her younger brother, Sean, who died in a car crash near Halfway on the main Cork to Bandon road last December.
She has already been inundated with volunteer relay team runners who want to help her make it a marathon wedding weekend to remember.
Two days before the crash, Sean, 25, a champion motorcycle racer, drew up a bucket list of goals, which included taking part in a triathlon, running a pub, owning a racetrack, and running in the Cork marathon.
After his death, Jacqui and her family vowed to fulfill his list. They have completed a duathlon and the Monstermac Triathlon to date.
“Next up is to run the Cork City Marathon. As I am getting married in Cork over the bank holiday weekend I was hoping that all our family and friends could run the marathon in Sean’s memory so that he wouldn’t be forgotten at the wedding.
“The plan was to enter a team of 26 people and each would run a mile in this year’s marathon.
“Since we decided to do this, however, we have been inundated with people saying that if we do the Cork marathon they would join us. We’ve got 52 people signed up so far”.
Funds raised will go towards helping to provide free screening at the Centre for Cardiac Risk in Younger Persons in Tallaght Hospital. www.cry.ie.