There was close to 450 teams, comprising of 1700 individuals competing in the inaugural Grant Thornton Corporate 5k Team Challenge. The event took place in the Dublin Docklands in beautiful sunshine, which was a welcome sight for all the competitors.
Business advisors Grant Thornton and Athletics Ireland combined to create this new event in the heart of Dublin’s business district. The concept behind the event was to encourage social running amongst Dublin’s business community in the International Financial Services Centre.
The social and team aspect was the resounding theme behind the race concept, however there was still a healthy rivalry between the competing companies. There were individual prizes up for grabs in the male, female and mixed categories. The Garda Athletic Club team combined to win the men’s event. Irish Olympic Marathon representative Mark Kenneally was a surprise entrant for the Garda team and he won the race outright in a time of 15.18. The next four teams across the line were Irish Life Investment, Bny Mellon, Grant Thornton and Certus.
Leo Pharma were the overall winners of the women’s team category, followed by C &C Group, Bearpoint and Department of Education & Skills.
The mixed category prize went to A+L Goodbody, followed by Irish Bank Resolution, Davy Stockbrokers, Collins Crowley Solicitors and Conway Institute of Biomechanical Research.
Event ambassador; Olympian and former London Marathon winner Catherina McKiernan, officially started the race, before joining the field herself to run the 5k route. McKiernan was also the first women home overall in a time of 17.14.
Commenting afterwards McKiernan said “The spirit of the event was fantastic. It was a welcoming sight to see so many runners complete the course, while also managing to enjoy themselves at the same time”
The 5k course saw the participants follow a flat, fast route around the Dublin Docklands, which also included two bridge crossings: The Samuel Beckett and the Venerable Matt Talbot structures that span the River Liffey. It was a spectacular sight to see the capacity field flow across the two bridges, signifying that all is well amongst Dublin’s business running community.
Colin Feely, Partner with Grant Thornton said “It was a delight to see so many people getting out there and competing for the basic love of running. The team aspect of the event worked very well and it is apparent that there is a healthy inter firm rivalry amongst Dublin’s business community.”
Athletics Ireland CEO John Foley commented “Athletics Ireland is delighted to have developed this new association with Grant Thornton. We were delighted with the huge numbers that turned out for the event and that it was so well received by all the participants involved. We look forward to providing similar style events in the future.”
All participants received a souvenir technical t-shirt and goody bag for their efforts. There was also tea/coffee and sandwiches provided for all participants after the race. This was well received and added to the social aspect of the occasion. A contribution from entry fees will be made to the designated charity St. Vincent De Paul.
For full results of the event, please visit www.grantthorntoncorporatechallenge.ie/
