Cavan runner clocks up his 41st marathon in Mumbai
By Sean McMahon
CAVAN?S marathon man has now the unique distinction of pounding the roads in cities in the four corners of the globe.
Patrick Doonan from Cavan Town completed his 41st marathon in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, in India last week.
Patrick said Mumbai provided him with some of his most unique experiences. The experienced runner has completed the marathon in Hong Kong, Canberra, Alaska, South Africa and Los Angeles.
Patrick was amazed at the fact that officials in Mumbai only stopped the traffic for four hours to allow the marathon take place. In most other cities, including Dublin and London, participants get up to eight hours to get across the line.
In Mumbai there was mayhem as hundreds of people were still about six kilometers from the line when police allowed the traffic back onto the route.
Buses were then sent to pick up the remaining runners and bring them to the finish line. They would not have been able to collect their medals had they not been brought back to the finish zone.
Patrick is understandably proud of the fact that he managed to collect his medal, to showed that he participated in the Mumbai marathon.
He arrived in Mumbai on January 19th, the day before the race, and had to pay 1300 rupee to enter the marathon. 50 rupee is equal to ?1.
While the hotel known as the ?West End? was very comfortable, Patrick revealed that when he asked them to put a blanket on the bed, they looked for lots of extra rupees. Patrick, who has travelled the world, has never before experienced hotel staff looking for more cash to put bedclothes on the bed.
He saw thousands of poor people sleeping out in the open air in parks and along the streets and in makeshift sheds.
For the record Patrick ran his 41 marathons in Dublin (19), London (4), Belfast, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Winelands in South Africa, Rome, Canberra, Alaska, Quebec, Rio de Janerio, Stockholm, Mumbai, Cork (one each), and Cavan (2).
Patrick will get a big welcome home at the traditional Irish night in the Farnham Arms Hotel tonight (Wednesday) and there will be a raffle to help him defray some of his expenses.
This remarkable man is not finished yet and his next marathon date in Spain in a few months time.
