Going the distance for Nan: 48-hour challenge in aid of Athlone Sunshine Club

A number of Athlone women are preparing to push themselves to their limits this October as they take on a gruelling 48-hour endurance challenge in aid of a cause incredibly close to their hearts – the Sunshine Club at the Irish Wheelchair Association in Athlone.

Nan's Sunshine Challenge will take place over the weekend of Mary Gaynor's first anniversary. Mary, known to most as Nan, was involved in establishing the Sunshine Club in Athlone and remained deeply connected to it throughout her life.

The idea – and the slightly crazy challenge behind it – came from Nan's granddaughter Sandra Griffin.

Sandra previously completed a fundraising challenge while Nan was still alive, covering 4km every four hours for 24 hours. Nan was delighted with the fundraiser and afterwards asked Sandra to organise another one.

It was a request Sandra never forgot.

So, approaching Nan's first anniversary, Sandra decided the time was right to do it again – except this time, 24 hours apparently wasn't enough!

The challenge: 4km every four hours for 48 hours.

Beginning on Friday, October 3 and continuing until Sunday, October 5, the group will complete 4km 12 times over two days and two nights, covering 48km in total – although there is already talk of rounding it up to an even 50km before they're finished.

Sandra is delighted to have her cousin and fellow granddaughter Ciara Gaynor taking on the challenge alongside her.

They will be joined by close friends Yvonne Clarke, Vikki Dollery, Sinead Hegarty, Gillian Doyle and Joanne Mannion, who have all agreed – perhaps against their better judgement! – to take on the challenge with them.

“I might have come up with the slightly crazy idea, but somehow these wonderful women all agreed to do it with me! I genuinely don’t underestimate for a second what they’re signing themselves up for. Forty-eight hours of broken sleep, tired legs and getting back out there every four hours is going to test us physically and mentally, and it means more to me than I can really say that they’re willing to put themselves through that alongside me.

“Having Ciara there makes it particularly special because we’re both Nan’s granddaughters and we’re doing this for someone we both loved so much. And then to be surrounded by such good friends, who have taken something that was very personal to me and made it important to them too, is incredibly special. I definitely couldn’t – and wouldn’t want to – do it without them.”

While 4km on its own may not sound particularly daunting, the challenge comes from having to do it again every four hours for 48 hours. Regardless of tired legs, lack of sleep, weather or the time on the clock, the group will have to get themselves back up and head out again.

"When I did the 24-hour challenge, Nan was still here and she was so proud of it. She asked me afterwards to do another fundraiser, and that always stayed with me. When we were coming up to her first anniversary, it just felt like the right time. Of course, somewhere along the way I decided instead of doing 24 hours again, we'd double it to 48!"

Behind the laughs and the inevitable exhaustion is a cause that means an enormous amount to the family.

Nan was involved in establishing the Sunshine Club in Athlone, part of the Irish Wheelchair Association, and the club held a very special place in her heart. It provides children and young people with disabilities with opportunities to socialise, enjoy activities, make friends and develop confidence and independence.

The Sunshine Club relies on fundraising and the generosity of the community to support its activities, making events such as Nan's Sunshine Challenge particularly important.

"Nan absolutely loved the Sunshine Club. It meant so much to her and, because of that, it means so much to us. We wanted to do something in her memory that she would have been really proud of, while raising as much as we possibly can for something she cared so deeply about."

The team has set an initial fundraising target of €4,000, but they're hoping the people and businesses of Athlone and the wider Midlands community will help them go well beyond it.

"We'd absolutely love to smash the €4,000 target. Every donation, big or small, will make a difference. We'd also love local businesses to get behind us. Athlone is incredibly good at supporting its own, so we're hoping people will help us make this something really special for Nan and for the Sunshine Club."

Donations can be made through the team's iDonate page here