A 29-year-old Westmeath man is one step closer to realising his dreams of taking in an Alpine Marathon Challenge with Powerade this summer.
Aidan O’Donoghue from Mullingar has been selected on a regional short-list of 40 people. The candidates were chosen from an original entry of close to 1,000 people from across the country, which included 12 applications from Westmeath.
Sports people and enthusiasts from all 32 counties submitted their applications to www.nevergiveup.ie over a six-week period in the lead-up to Christmas, with everyone from world champions to sports novices making a pitch for their selection.
Along with the other short-listed candidates, Aidan’s enthusiasm for the challenge shone through on his application form. The civil engineer said that the challenge appealed to him as it would give him the opportunity to “illustrate how normal people can do anything they set their minds to”.
“The reaction to our Never Give Up challenges has always been very positive, but this year the response has simply been overwhelming,” said Powerade brand manager, Aengus King.
“The Alpine marathon challenge has obviously struck a chord, and to have almost 1,000 people apply to be part of our team clearly shows the enthusiasm that is out there for the challenge. We were particularly impressed with the quality of entries from County Westmeath and Aidan now has a real chance of making the final short-list, and perhaps even the team itself.”
The Alpine Marathon Challenge will test the physical and mental endurance of the Powerade team as they train for one of the world’s most exciting distance running challenges. From the moment they are picked until the start of the race in July, the challengers will benefit from advice, support and motivation from a team of Powerade mentors led by Derry-based mountain runner Hannah Shields, the first woman from Northern Ireland to climb Mount Everest.
The regional short-list of 40 has already been handed over to a panel of expert judges who are currently narrowing the field down to an overall national short-list of eight people. The final Powerade team of three is expected to be announced by the end of January.
