A marathon effort for Monaghan Special Olympics Club
Comline Ireland is a proactive and engaged member of its community. Recently, brothers Damien and Shane Larkin, Comline Ireland general manager and product manager respectively, ran the Dublin Marathon to raise funds for the Monaghan Special Olympics Club, an organisation local to Comline Ireland HQ that supports people with intellectual disabilities.
They were joined by elder brother Adrian Larkin, northeast manager at Bus Eireann Maintenance, and friend Ciaran Murphy, who is a Beech Hill College teacher and ran the marathon for RISE (Raising Independence through Support in Education) autism class at the school.
Dublin Marathon Runners – L-R – Ciaran Murphy – Adrian Larkin – Damien Larkin – Shane Larkin
The group set an ambitious fundraising target of €15,000, aimed at supporting the transportation of athletes to various events around the country, and, amazingly, thanks to the support of friends, family and colleagues – as well as the customers and suppliers of Comline – the goal was achieved!
Damien Larkin said: “Adrian, Shane and I started training way back in May and chose the Monaghan Special Olympics Club as the beneficiary because it’s a local charity that is close to our hearts. It does such amazing work across County Monaghan, providing valuable sporting and social experiences to people with intellectual disabilities.”
“It was a challenging but rewarding journey, and we’re pleased to report that we reached our target. We presented the cheque to Monaghan Special Olympics Club Chairwoman, Margaret McElroy, in late November and it was a hugely proud moment.”
Special Olympics Athlete Oath
As part of its mission, the Monaghan Special Olympics Club encourages athletes to embrace victory and the courage to strive for their best. The Special Olympics Athlete Oath captures this spirit: “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
This oath reflects the values of the Monaghan Special Olympics Club, which provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
The club offers a variety of training, including athletics, aquatics, bowling, table tennis, basketball and football. Special Olympics Club athletes are grouped by ability level to ensure fair competition, and each participant is recognised with awards from first through eighth place.
Monaghan Special Olympics Club plays a vital role in the lives of athletes across County Monaghan. The initiative also offers opportunities for athletes to compete at town, regional and national levels, with the chance to progress to international competitions.