SHE swore she’d do it again if she was still in the land of the living and tomorrow 86-year-old Kathleen Kelleher will take part in her sixth mini marathon.

Last year Kathleen was among the 7,000 strong crowd who took part in The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon down on Centre Park Road.

This year, due to Covid crowds won’t gather all together for the race — instead they’ll take part in The Echo Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon. Tomorrow is the official ‘race day’ however people can do the ‘6K Your Way’ up until September 27.

Kathleen from Aghabullogue will be doing it again this year - this time nearer her home, along the greenway in Coachford.

Having first participated in the mini marathon when she turned 80, Kathleen originally from Dromtarriffe wasn’t going to let a pandemic stop her in her tracks. Clearly she comes from hardy stuff - she recalls how she did lose an aunt during another global pandemic, the Spanish Flu, however another aunt survived four hours in the water, after her boat went down between Australia and the US — while Kathleen’s brother crashed while flying a plane and survived with just a few injuries.

Kathleen and her husband Andrew spent most of the year cocooning — which Kathleen said hadn’t been too difficult, due to the fact they live in the country, surrounded by fields, so she kept up her daily walks and pottering around the gardens. She had a companion — her new little doggie, Poppy, who she got after her older dog of 11 years passed away.

“There is plenty of space here to walk. I didn’t go to mass, I watched it on the laptop on Sundays. Since Covid I’ve only been twice.”

She misses going into Cork city for a day out, but is thankful of her local store. She also misses calling to friends and dropping into people’s houses, but her daughters Mary and Claire call to see their parents regularly. While she will miss the trip out in Cork city, the atmosphere and the beautiful route along the marina - she said she is hoping for a nice day and to be in good health.

HOW TO TAKE PART...

The event ‘6K Your Way’ is free to register, on theechominimarathon.ie. 

You can complete it by walking, running or jogging. 

We are encouraging people to do the 6K on September 20, adhering to all government guidelines. 

If you can’t complete your 6K on September 20 you can also do it from September 18 to September 27.

Upload your results on the website and download a certificate of completion. You also have the option of paying for a race number and a medal.

Be sure to share your photographs with us, across all social media platforms and use the hashtag #6KYourWay or #theechominimarathon