Charlestown gearing up for another ‘Run for Colm’
The young and the not so young will all be taking part in the upcoming Colm Horkan Memorial Run which is being held in his native Charlestown.
The countdown has begun to ‘Run for Colm’, the Colm Horkan Memorial Run which is once again to be staged in his native Charlestown on Sunday, May 19.
The event is being hosted by East Mayo Athletics Club, which in 2024 is to celebrate five years in existence.
The club is going from strength to strength and after extensive efforts on the fundraising front, work is soon to begin on its brand new athletics track facility. But there’s no doubt that ‘Run for Colm’ will again be the focus of so much of the club’s efforts in the immediate future.
Although the country was in the grip of the dreadful Covid-19 pandemic, nothing could have prepared Charlestown, Mayo and indeed the entire nation for the tragic events of June that year when Colm Horkan was slain in the line of his duty as a detective garda. A much loved member of the community, he was a constant smiling face and friend to young and old, be it through his deep and passionate involvement in Charlestown GAA or his dedication to his family and huge circle of friends.
The events of that time struck a chord with Niall McCrann of 62nd Infantry who was then based in Syria. McCrann felt he needed to do something in support of a fellow member of the State’s defence services so organised a sponsored run among the troops at Camp Faouar in February 2021. The €12,000 raised was donated towards developing a new football pitch in Charlestown to be named in Colm Horkan’s honour. The gesture inspired East Mayo AC and Charlestown Sarsfields GAA to unite every year since in continuing the ‘Colm Horkan Memorial Run’, which has proven a tremendous success.
It’s three races in one, from half-marathon to 10k to a 5k walk or jog, with participants even able to take part virtually from anywhere in the world. As local lady Eileen Gallagher remarked, “It’s so lovely that Colm is remembered by the beat of feet on streets across the world after him walking the beat for all of us.” The route is flat and fast and as always, the Charlestown hospitality post-race is second to none. So mark the date in the diary, Sunday morning, May 19.
