Road Runner

So long, sucker

Meep, meep. That was me on Sunday as I fairly raced charged plodded through the Phoenix Park in an attempt to finish this – Great Ireland Run. I wasn’t quite chased by Wile E Coyote (or any other sales rep from Acme Inc) but I did beat a brown bear and a bottle of tequila. However, nobody likes a smart-arse, yes you, pushing the double-decker buggy with two kids on board passing me uphill at 8km, ya fit bastard. With over 10,000 runners, in all sorts of (un)dress, on a twisty course, the race resembled nothing more than a giant Benny Hill sketch.

In the spirit of the Oscars I would, tearfully, like to thank all my sponsors – Dave W, Dave H, Dave S, Paul, Chris, DC, Vin, Kevin, Johnny, Nicky between you the Hospice in Harolds Cross is now better off by €400. I would also like to thank (told you it was like the Oscars) all the people who showed up on Sunday to offer their support to the runners.

Some of these people would have been there to cheer on specific participants but others were just there to encourage and gee-up us poor stragglers. The generosity of spirit that Irish people sometimes show can be genuinely moving and surprising. If there were only some way we could bottle that spirit and use it positively then this country would be a much better place to live in, regardless of our economic mess.

If you really want to know how I did, check out the Great Ireland Run website, my number is 2110 and you can look it up in the race results. And my next challenge? Well, after sinking a crate of beer I’m thinking of entering this - Calcutta Run 2010. Unfortunately, it is run in Blackhall Place and not actually in Calcutta but there is a bbq and drinks afterwards so that’s good enough for me. Why not join me and work up a thirst?

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Shockwaves

When Grandad comes down from the mountain to speak, you better bloody listen. Following an idea by English Mum, Grandad reckons that we bloggers could be doing something useful for the people of Haiti. There has been a lot of writing and twittering about the devastation, the relative culpability of France and the US in reducing Haitians to a below poverty level existence and the complete lack of tact of some cruise line operators.

Courtesy of http://gapingvoid.com/

The rise and impact of social media has enabled stories like this to be instantly shared around the world. While this impact and influence has shown itself in relatively minor episodes, such as the condemnation of Jan Moir’s bitchfest against Stephen Gately there have been few significant examples of social media actually achieving something worthwhile. Well now is the chance for all us bloggers, facebookers, beboists, mySpacers and twitters to take our hands off our keyboards and put them to good use.

Support the organisations like Shelterbox that are bringing life-saving supplies to Haiti. Once you’ve done this tell everyone else you’re connected with to do the same. Lets see what a global network can really achieve. Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day in the US, the epitome of inclusiveness, justice and action. Don’t let his ideals down.

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