- Grant Thornton’s summer race series returns with national race ambassador Derval O’Rourke
13th June 2023: Hundreds of people are set to take to the streets of Cork city later today, for the first race of Grant Thornton’s GT5K Corporate Team Challenge. The GT5K series, now in its 12th edition, is aimed at promoting social running among the business community and has become a staple on the social running calendar every year. Olympian and Cork native Derval O’Rourke has returned as this year’s national race ambassador and has expressed her excitement ahead of this evening’s event.
“I am thrilled to be back as the national ambassador for the GT5K and excited to kick off this year’s series in Cork City! Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a complete beginner, this event welcomes participants of all abilities and backgrounds. Let’s make this year’s series the best one yet!”
The starting point for this evening’s Cork race is located at Kennedy’s Quay in the city, with runners taking off at 7.45pm. Participants will proceed along Centre Park Road and down along the River Lee, before passing Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and heading back towards the finish line at Monaghan Road. More than 700 people have already signed up. The Dublin race, which takes place later this year on Tuesday September 26th, starts from the Dublin Docklands and is now open for registration.
Speaking ahead of the event, Michael Nolan, Audit Partner at Grant Thornton’s Cork office said:
“Excitement has been building for this event at our Cork office for weeks and months now, and we’re delighted that race day is finally here! It’s really rewarding to see our team excited about and working towards something beyond the remit of our day-to-day jobs.
Physical wellbeing within our workforce is really important to us at Grant Thornton, and initiatives like this give us the opportunity to prioritise that. The option to participate as a team not only promotes teamwork and camaraderie but also supports a good cause. And the good weather arriving is an added bonus!”
Participants can choose to run individually or as a team, with four participants on each team. The team members’ times will be combined to determine the winner in each category – male, female, and mixed.
Chief Executive of Athletics Ireland, Hamish Adams, said:
“Grant Thornton’s sponsorship of the GT5K race series not only supports the promotion of corporate wellbeing and social running, but also contributes to a worthy cause by supporting Children in Hospital Ireland and Athletics Ireland’s Junior High-Performance Athletics programs. We are pleased to see the return of this event and look forward to welcoming participants from all backgrounds and abilities to the races in Cork and Dublin.”.
Participants will receive a virtual goodie bag and a branded GT5K T-shirt with a chipped numbered bib that will digitally track their performance. Children in Hospital Ireland is the preferred charity partner for the GT5K race series, and Grant Thornton Ireland as well as Athletics Ireland are delighted to be supporting them in their important work for sick children and their families. A percentage of the entrance fee will also be donated to the development of young athletes via Athletics Ireland’s junior high-performance programme.
For registration and more information visit: https://www.grantthornton.ie/gt5k/