Local man’s marathon keg challenge for Join Our Boys
By Rebekah O'Reilly
Athlone resident James Cuddy is one of seven runners preparing to carry a 15kg keg around the Dublin City Marathon course this weekend to raise funds for the Join Our Boys Trust and support research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
The local man is taking on the unique challenge at this year’s Dublin City Marathon in memory of Archie Naughton.
Archie passed away in 2022, aged just 16, from complications associated with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
Part of his legacy is an effort to ensure treatment in found for his brothers, George and Isaac, and other children and young people who are living with the rare genetic disease.
James will join six fellow runners, Dave McCourt (from Athlone), Sean McConn, Kevin Raftery, Kieran Dowd, Michael Rogerson, and Dave Newell, in carrying a 15kg, 0.0% keg during the 26.2-mile marathon this Sunday.
Known as the 'Keg Men', the seven runners will take turns carrying the keg throughout the course, using the unusual challenge to highlight the physical and mental burden faced every day by children living with Duchenne and their families. While the runners will be able to put down their load when the marathon is over, children living with the progressive muscle-wasting condition do not have that luxury.
James Cuddy noted he has a long connection with the Join Our Boys Trust, with the organisation having supported his local club in Fuerty. This is James’ third event in aid of the Join Our Boys, after he completed a run challenge in 2020 and a hair cutting fundraiser in 2022.
“This time, a man named Esteban from the UK was meant to complete the challenge, but he got injured,” James said.
“Paula rang me to see if I knew anyone who could take it over. She told me Archie told her to ring me. I told her I could say no to her but I couldn’t say no to Archie! So I gathered a group of friends to take on the marathon.”
Despite only having five weeks’ notice, the team of seven got to work training, carrying the keg with a hunter’s harness and doing weighted runs each week.
“There’s seven of us, which is significant because Archie died on July 7. So we’re asking people to donate €7, and we’re hoping to blow the target out of the water.”
Every cent raised through the challenge will go to the Join Our Boys Trust, which was established in 2014 by the boys' parents Paula and Padraic Naughton following the diagnosis of Archie and his twin brothers, George and Isaac, with DMD.
The Join Our Boys trust works to raise awareness of the disease, fund translational research and educational projects, and support families affected by Duchenne. With no cure currently available, the need for continued research and effective treatments remains urgent.
Tragically, Archie died suddenly from heart failure related to Duchenne on July 7, 2022. He was just 16.
Paula said Archie’s dying wish was for his family and friends to continue raising funds and awareness in the hope of finding a treatment for everyone living with DMD.
His brothers, George and Isaac, are now 16, and the family continues to campaign for progress in research.
'Team Archie' was born at the Dublin City Marathon in 2017, when runners helped the sports-mad Archie to complete the course in an assisted running buggy.
The team quickly became a familiar sight at the marathon, with a large crowd dressed in orange helping to raise awareness of Duchenne and funds for research.
Archie’s race number, 216, has been retired in his honour, while mile 16 of the marathon course remains a special gathering point for family and supporters. After Archie's passing, his brothers Isaac and George took up the mantle.
"The 'Keg Men' stepped in at the last minute after our original runner was injured. The keg represents the weight that children with Duchenne, a progressive muscle-wasting disease with no cure, carry every minute of every day, and the load carried by everyone living with a rare disease and their families," said Paula Naughton.
Running alongside them will be 15 members of the Irish Defence Forces’ 7th Infantry Battalion, each carrying a 15kg kit bag, matching the weight of the keg every step of the way. The Join Our Boys Trust is encouraging members of the public to support the campaign by donating €7 and encouraging seven friends to do likewise.
Businesses are also being invited to sponsor the event, with all funds raised going towards the trust’s work supporting awareness and research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
As of Friday, October 23, the iDonate page had amassed €13,968 from more than 355 donations.
Donations can be made online at: www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/thekegmarathon