THE back roads of Maguiresbridge came alive with colour recently as runners from several clubs undertook a hilly 5K organised by Aravon McCann, K9 Kennels, to raise money for Fermanagh Women’s Aid.

Aravon was very keen to raise essential funds for Women’s Aid that, like many other charities over the past year, has seen its fundraising efforts severely impacted by the pandemic.

The event raised a total of £1,930 for the charity, thanks to online donations and collections. Aravon had organised the 5K run for Boxing Day 2020, but due to Covid-19, the run was postponed until the May 31st Bank Holiday.

She said: “The sun was beaming and everyone was delighted to finally be allowed to gather outside to run together, whilst raising vital funds for such a special charity.”

As for the race, Adam Johnston set the bar very high, coming in at 20.35 in the group that set out at 11am.

The final group, which included several runners from Enniskillen Running Club, were head to head fighting for pole position throughout the evening. The crown was eventually robbed by Mark McCaffrey, with a time of 18.50.

Aravon thanked all the runners, and those who helped on the day, such as Helen Mulligan, who helped all day keeping the ship afloat; Peter McEvoy, for helping sort the route and set up signs; Jeannette Abbott, for driving ahead of the runners, alerting oncoming traffic; and Frazers Centra, for sponsoring the bottles of water.