Leprechaun Attempts Marathon World Record

20 APR2010

On the scale of one to 10 for obscure ideas, running a marathon is pretty low. However, attempting to break the world record for the fastest marathon ever run by a leprechaun, is pretty high is the scale. Edinburgh Marathon Marketing Director, Damien O'Looney is trying to do just that.

The Irish-born running fanatic will be competing in this weekend's Virgin London Marathon, in an attempt to be the fastest man ever to run a marathon dressed as a leprechaun.

Speaking on his justgiving page, Damien comments,

"I may be a bit tall but I think I've got the style to pull it off. The current record is held by fellow Irishman Jack Lyons (pictured) in 4:22:08. I want to smash the record because I know Leprechaun's can run faster than that! I'll be ashamed to be called a true Irishman if I cant knock at least 1/2 an hour off the record."

Damien will be raising money for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), a charity that is close to his heart, as many of his close family members suffer from mental illness. He wants to raise awareness of the charity, helping them put an end to common misperceptions and misunderstandings about mental illnesses and how they affect individuals and their families.