Mayo men to run Dublin marathon for charity

David Gallagher and his wife lost one of their little baby twins during pregnancy in April 2022: "It was pretty much going in to the doctor's one day for a routine scan and then there was no heartbeat any more. It was devastating. A big shock for us", says Gallagher, speaking to The Mayo News.

Little Ben was at 29 weeks into the pregnancy when it happened. There was still his identical twin brother Tommy. What followed were six very tough weeks for the couple. "We travelled up and down to Galway for scans, tests, spend a lot of time on the road." 

Fortunately, after 34 weeks, Tommy was born and he is doing great. "We were so delighted after his birth. But we still had to drive to Galway for tests, it was mad times" says Gallagher.

He explains that he had taken up running during the Covid pandemic, and after the pregnancy the running built up. It was a good measure to clear the head. 

"I always had the idea in my head that if I get to run a marathon, I would do it for charity." Gallagher and his friend Paul Basquille, who lost two nephews, entered the lottery for the Dublin marathon and they are to run it on October 27 in.

They have started a fundraising page and all the money will go to the Féileacáin charity afterwards. "They provide people to talk, memory boxes, with candles, handprints, footprints, keepsakes, that are wonderful to have especially, as time goes on." says Gallagher,

At the moment David is in the middle of a twelve-week training bloc. He ran the half-marathon in Charleville recently. "It was a good indicator. A nice way to break up the monotony of training. If you are all by yourself, it can be a bit boring" explains Gallagher. "It went really well. Thankfully I ran a 1h35min a new personal best."

David Gallagher and Paul Basquille appreciate the messages of support and especially the donations.

You can donate to the Féileacáin charity here.