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Tom
Roche and Noel Walsh, Marathon Men of
Charity
On Monday October 30th last in Dublin,
the two hardy Kilmacow runners romped
round the 26.1mile course in a nifty
4.11, finishing fresh as a daisy and
leaving over half the 10,000 runners in
their wake. Not content with that, in
true Frank Moore fashion, they managed
to down several pints of Guinness in
Madigan’s Pub, before heading for the
train home. This was the 26th
Dublin Marathon and Tom has run all but
three, as well as several others in
Belfast and Connemara. Noel has at least
20 marathons under his belt, as well as
a hat full of half-marathons and over a
dozen triathlons. Seasoned campaigners
both with good times to their credit in
their hay days, Noel ran an impressive
2.47 and Tom 2.55. Tom also ran the
fastest club time for the Kilmacow
half-marathon of 1.12 some years ago,
while Noel won a county 10 mile in
Kilkenny beating among others a young
Bill Lacey. It’s been estimated that
since they started running in the early
80’s the pair have clocked up enough
miles to be on their third lap around
the world.
Tall
Tales and True
On
the train home the two were reminiscing
on the good old days with former St
Senans legends like Frank and the
Dollard brothers, Tommy Tobin, Michael
Ryan and Father Flavin. Noel was part of
the famous winning senior cross country
team of almost 25 years ago, while Tom
was county vet champion on three
occasions and also featured prominently
in the Four County League series. Tom
recalled a miserable, cold, rainy day
when running a cross country race close
to St Senans Hospital in Enniscorthy,
Frank Moore quipped,
“begor lads if they see us running in
this we’ll be taken inside”
Hillbilly
Noel started life as a committed hill
walker completing several tough hikes
including the Maam Turks, Reeks Ridge
Walk and famed Ben Nevis in Scotland. He
is also a keen environmentalist who
likes to run the roads around Moolum,
accompanied by a chorus of birdsong and
a jug of Maggie Lacey’s life-giving
spring water. He trained for triathlons
by cycling to Woodstown, before diving
into the sea for a swim, though Tom
recalls on more than one occasion seeing
him jump into the local river after a
training session in the Sports Complex.
Iron men both, they are also two of
life’s gentlemen, who quietly raise
huge sums for charities like Crumlin
Children’s Hospital and the Hospice
movement, without fuss or attention.
Happy to use their own good health to
give others a chance, long may they
continue to run and thrive.
Well done lads on another great marathon
run.
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