Vhi today kicked off the 2020 Vhi Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon which is taking place from 1st – 10th October in cities, towns and villages across Ireland. Over the course of 10 days, more than 18,000 women will do 10KM their own way to raise funds for charities across Ireland.
Vhi and the Women’s Mini Marathon have commissioned a statue of a female runner representing all women participating in the event. This statue, called ‘Cara’, meaning friend in Irish, will be on display outside the Mansion House in Dublin city centre from October 1st to 10th. Made from more than 200 pieces of sustainably sourced wood, ‘Cara’ is a symbol of all the women taking part in the Vhi Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon. While they can’t be together for this year’s event, she signifies the strength and power within all the women taking part.
Hazel Chu, Lord Mayor of Dublin said: “The Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon is one of the biggest events to take place every year in Dublin, as well as being one of the largest all female participation events of its kind in the world. The streets of Dublin are synonymous with this event, so we are delighted to house ‘Cara’ at the Mansion House for the duration of the event. While we can’t be together for the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon this year, Cara is symbolic of every woman all over the country taking part over the next ten days. I hope all of the participants enjoy taking part, and that they know their fundraising is greatly appreciated by all of the causes that benefit from a special event like this”.
David O’Leary, General Manager, Women’s Mini Marathon, said:
“This is a special day for everyone involved with the Vhi Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon, from the organisers, to the sponsors, to charities and participants all around the county. We are delighted to provide charities with an event that they can harness for their fundraising efforts. This virtual event enables our thousands of participants, who unfortunately had to miss out on the physical event in Dublin this year, to still be able to support the charitable causes close to their hearts, as well as meeting their personal fitness goals. Huge thanks go to the Lord Mayor for allowing us to use the Mansion House as a home for ‘Cara’ for the next few weeks. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from women all over the country for our virtual event this year, and we’re looking forward to seeing all of the photos and videos of participants on their virtual start line over the coming days!”.
Brighid Smyth, Head of Corporate Communications in Vhi said; “We are delighted to launch the Vhi Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon today. To mark the occasion, we are unveiling a specially designed statue which represents the women all over the country whose training and fundraising efforts will culminate over the coming ten days. This is an extremely important event as it allows participants an opportunity to raise much-needed funds for worthy causes nationwide as well as staying active and Vhi is very proud to be a part of this. We wish all of the women taking part the very best of luck with the “10km their way”!
Commenting on her role as a Vhi Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon Ambassador, Demi Isaac Oviawe said, “I am delighted that Vhi and the Women’s Mini Marathon have been able to organise this special Virtual race. With all of the disruption this year, it has been fantastic to have the training and fundraising for this event to keep me going! I plan to run 1km each day, you’ll be able to follow along with me on my social media channels. I am running on behalf of the Irish Cancer Society and I can’t wait to get going!”.
Registration for the event is still open on www.vhiwomensminimarathon.ie. Every participant will receive a Race Pack, including a brand-new finisher t-shirt and Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon commemorative medal, as well as a Virtual Goody Bag. For further information visit www.vhiwomensminimarathon.ie or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vhiwomensminimarathon or twitter @VhiWmm / #VhiWmm.
