Omagh woman inspired to run two marathons in month

OMAGH woman Alex McKinley is halfway through her charity challenge to run two marathons in a month after completing the London event on Sunday.

Now she is preparing for the Dublin marathon at the end of October to raise money for Air Ambulance NI.

Alex took up running after her sister, Kyra, tragically passed away following a road collision four years ago.

She has since run five half marathon races in aid of Air Ambulance NI, a charity Alex says “has done so much” to help her family.

“Four years ago, Air Ambulance NI had a huge impact on the lives of myself and my family when they attended a car accident my sister was involved in,” said Alex.

“They arrived at the scene and worked on Kyra for over an hour before transporting her to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Unfortunately, Kyra couldn’t recover from her injuries but thanks to the work of Air Ambulance we had a chance to spend some time with her before saying our goodbyes.

“It also allowed Kyra to leave a lasting legacy of donating organs which helped four people get a new lease on life.”

Alex was named a ‘Water Partner’ by the brand Buxton who picked out eight people from 50,000 runners who took part in the London Marathon to highlight and help with their fundraising.

Alex will also complete the Dublin Marathon on October 30, her second marathon in just 28 days.

“I began running about six months after my sister passed away. Running became a refuge for me, a place to clear my head,” she stated.

Alex continued, “Over the last four years we have endeavoured to help Air Ambulance NI as best we can. We have received so much support from the local community to date and we are incredibly thankful for that

“However, the work of Air Ambulance has not stopped and so neither has our fundraising.”

You can donate to Alex’s efforts on her Just Giving page.

All money raised will for Air Ambulance NI; www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alex-mckinley2