Over 400 Mayo students to take on marathon in unique relay challenge
Girls at the school will complete a full marathon along The Mall in a first-of-its-kind initiative.
Rather than running the 26.2-mile distance individually, students will work together in a relay, covering 100-metre sprints and passing a baton 422 times to reach the total distance.
The SuperValu Relay the Nation event will take place on Thursday, March 26, at 11am, with organisers hoping it will grow into a nationwide movement. Sacred Heart School is encouraging other girls’ schools across Ireland to take part in the initiative.
Research from Sport Ireland shows that one in five girls drop out of sport between primary and post-primary school, a rate four times higher than that of boys of the same age.
By the age of 14, almost 50pc of girls have stopped participating, often citing pressure, lack of enjoyment, or not feeling “good enough”.
Research shows that girls who remain active in sport are up to 2.5 times less likely to experience mental health difficulties, and also report higher levels of confidence and body positivity.
Students involved in the event say they want to send a strong message that “no girl should feel left on the sidelines”. They are encouraging schools to replicate the challenge, shift the focus from competition to community, and help to reverse the trend of girls leaving sport.
All year groups in the school will take part, with the event focusing on shared achievement rather than individual performance.
Support for the initiative has been shown by former Mayo Ladies Gaelic football star Cora Staunton and Mayo GAA footballer Aidan O’Shea, both of whom attended the official launch last month.
“It’s a very new idea, I’d never heard of it before, I thought it was a brilliant idea,” Ms Staunton said.
“To do a marathon, it's a huge task, but to be able to do it as a collective, especially as a school group, and then to do it as a school group of young teenage girls, I think it’s certainly an idea that will definitely catch on with other schools,” she added.
On keeping young women and young people in general in sport, Ms Staunton reminded students that the “most important thing about sport is the friendships that you make, and the people that you connect with along the way.”
“I encourage all young people, all young kids, to try as many different physical activities, to try as many different sports, and eventually they will find something that they love,” she said.
“I think this can be a really powerful initiative. Sacred Heart School can put challenges out, first of all to the schools in Mayo, then on to Connacht and certainly nationwide.”
Ms Staunton urged the Westport community to come out and support the girls taking on the marathon challenge.
Mr O’Shea joked that the Relay the Nation event would be the only way he could complete a marathon.
He drew comparisons between the initiative and Ms Staunton’s own career, describing them both as “trailblazing”, and told students they have an opportunity to “leave a legacy”. He also encouraged the girls to support and motivate one another throughout the challenge.
Sacred Heart School Deputy Principal Kevin Malone said the idea behind Relay the Nation was “straightforward”.
"We wanted a fun wellbeing event that brings everyone in and removes the pressure of comparison. When you break a marathon into 100-metre efforts, every student can contribute equally. That matters,
“This is about building confidence, strengthening community and showing our girls what they can achieve together. If they leave believing more in themselves and in each other, then the event has done its job,” he said.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.