Easter fun run to fight Motor Neuron Disease goes online

Members of the public looking to stay active during the lockdown and work off some of their Easter egg gorging are being invited to take part in an online fun run on Monday to raise money for research into Motor Neuron Disease (MND).

The annual Good Run, which has been held in St Anne’s Park in north Dublin for the past five years, will take part remotely this year with participants advised to go for a run or walk within a 2km radius or to follow one of the yoga or HITT classes which will stream online on Easter Monday as part of the fundraiser.

Organiser Fíona Mhic Dhomhnaill says some participants have already measured their gardens with a view to running the perimeter one hundred times while others plan to build up a sweat running up and down the stairs. While most participants in previous events have come from the local north Dublin area, this year’s online event means friends and family worldwide are able to take part.

"We have people from Montreal, New York, Perth, Vancouver, Thailand and Japan who are all going to take part," said Mhic Dhomhnaill. "A lot of participants would have a friend or family member with MND and we want to really make a big push this year to fundraise."

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Mhic Dhomhnaill, who suffers from MND, hopes money raised can help develop the Tricals project – a European wide research initiative across 16 countries to find a cure for MND within five years.

“Experts in MND are pooling and sharing their expertise on this project,” she explained to The Irish Times. “The plan for the research is to come up with clinical trials for every patient with MND in these 16 countries using medication already used for other ailments. They’re very optimistic about finding treatments and ultimately a cure.”

Mhic Dhomhnaill has been cocooning at home with her husband Fiachra, who is co-organising next Monday’s Good Run, along with their three grown up children and one-year-old grandson for the past fortnight. As she suffers from MND, Mhic Dhomhnaill uses a Nippy (non-invasive positive pressure) ventilator to help her breathe when she sleeps at night. If she contracts Covid-19 it could become very serious quickly.

The Mac Domhnaill family are conscious of her high level of vulnerability during this pandemic and are all staying home to protect her safety.

“Most of our shopping is delivered and the milkman is great, he brings us extra stuff. Fiachra goes to the shop the odd time but he’s the only one allowed out.

“At first when the virus hit I was very anxious and nervous. But now I feel more relaxed and know we’re safe once we all stay at home. I’m perfectly willing to keep that up.”

The couple would like to raise €10,000 for MND research through the €10 registrations for the event but are conscious that for many people who have lost their work, spending extra cash just isn’t an option right now. “The money isn’t important,” says Mhic Dhomhnaill. “It’s just a lovely community event for MND people and their families.

“Our phrase is together alone. We can all be together for this event even if we’re at home and alone. It’s a way to distract people by doing something worthwhile, particularly for MND patients.”

For more information on the Easter Monday Good Run visit thegoodrunireland2020.com.