Olympic champ and World 800m record holder Rudisha for Galway

KENYA’S David Rudisha, the current Olympic 800m Champion and World record holder, and Brother Colm O’Connell, coach to 25 World champions and five Olympic champions, are coming to Galway in September. The pair will participate in various activities in the city from September 11th to the 16th.

Their trip to Galway will include visits to schools on September 12th and 13th and a number of running events at Dangan Track on Saturday, September 14. The events, which are sponsored by the North Pole Marathon, will be used as fundraisers for Galway Simon Community, Self Help Africa and Education for Life, an AIDS charity in Kenya.

Event organisers are overwhelmed with the level of interest shown for the events. The school visit timetable is already filled but organisers are keen to stress that it is not too late to get your school involved. One such way is to have a dedicated 800m run especially for your school on September 14th. In fact, the same invitation is extended to all clubs, organisations and companies.

Why not run in your club colours or even your company t-shirts while waiting to watch the great Rudisha, who will take part in a Celebrity 800m event. Connacht Rugby is one club that are already on board and will have their own dedicated ‘Connacht Rugby 800m’ run. To get involved, simply visitwww.galwaykenyarun.com  or email galwaykenyarun@gmail.com 

 The day will also feature an elite mile where athletes will attempt to break the four-minute barrier in Galway for the first time. Admission is free and members of the public are invited to attempt 800m themselves to gauge how close they can get to Rudisha’s astounding world record of 1:40.91! Events kick off in Dangan at 1pm, with timed 800m runs for the public being operated every 10 minutes. The celebrity 800m will occur at 4pm and the Elite Galway City Mile at 4.20pm.

 Following the track activities, a further treat is in store: A Q&A session with Brother Colm and David Rudisha will take place at Bailey Allen Hall, NUIG. Organisers are keen to stress that tickets are selling quickly and advise that you purchase your ticket as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Tickets are available from Great Outdoors (Eglinton Street), Claddagh & Celtic Jewellery (Quay Street) and online at www.galwaykenyarun.com.