This Saturday morning in Galway, Gerry Flaherty will head out for his 60th marathon, the latest chapter in an adventure that’s now spanning five decades. It’s a fitting place to mark the achievement, back where it all began in the early 1980s. To celebrate, we’re tracing his path from Gaelic football to road racing, through setbacks, friendships and the growth of Blackrock A.C. Fit4Life.
Gerry’s sporting roots were in Corofin GAA, a respected North Galway GAA club. As a teenager, he played as a sub goalkeeper. “I wouldn’t have been a good footballer,” he admits with a grin, “but I loved being involved.” He dabbled in other sports too, table tennis, volleyball, badminton in the local hall and even basketball.
Sport was a part of community life in North Galway, but running wasn’t yet on his radar. It was only when he found himself without much game time in GAA that he looked for something else.
Corofin Athletic Club and First Race
Encouraged by local mentor John Murphy, Gerry joined Corofin Athletic Club, a tiny sized club compared to the huge GAA set-up in the parish. The small but dedicated group there gave him the training structure and camaraderie he needed.
His first big race, the Tuam–Dunmore nine-miler in 1983, left him feeling a little rough but it also planted the seed of endurance running. “I remember wearing yellow Nike runners, and I couldn’t walk for two weeks after it,” he laughs.
First Marathon
By 1986, Gerry was still in school but had built enough miles through 10k races to attempt something bigger. Inspired by a marathon plan he found in Irish Runner, he trained largely on his own around the hilly roads near his family farm. Farm work doubled as strength training, though he didn’t realise it at the time. Running became both a challenge and an escape after long days of chores.
With little more than a magazine programme to guide him, he lined up for the Dublin Marathon at just 17 years of age. “I didn’t really know what to expect,” he says. “Looking back, I wouldn’t recommend it so young, but I just wanted to see what I could do.” He finished, exhausted but elated, proving to himself that he could actually do it.
“If you can train for a marathon and do it, you can achieve anything in life. When the going gets tough, you just keep going. If you can achieve those big goals, you can achieve anything in life.”
Reflecting back now, Gerry says the marathon taught him something very important. “If you can train for a marathon and do it, you can achieve anything in life. When the going gets tough, you just keep going. If you can achieve those big goals, you can achieve anything in life.”
Building a Running Life in Galway, Cork and Finally Dublin
Running followed Gerry through college in Galway, where he competed with University College Galway’s athletics team over six years, then on to Cork, where the Business House Athletics Association (BHAA) kept him active. When Gerry first arrived in Dublin around 2000, the local running scene looked very different.
Blackrock A.C. was active although the men’s section was sparse with most of the runners being sprinters or masters athletes. Gerry trained with the club when he could but much of his sense of belonging came later, as friendships began to form.
Figures like John Casey and David Martin became central to this period. Together they threw themselves into races, including a novice cross-country where their team proudly finished last. “We didn’t fare too well, but we gave it everything, and we laughed about it after,” he says, “these moments were less about medals and more about enjoying the journey with other people.”
It was also a time when the BHAA races provided structure and regular competition. While he had first encountered them during his years in Cork, in Dublin BHAA continued to be an important outlet.
This decade of friendships and shared challenges laid the foundation for what would come next. By the early 2010s, Gerry realised that Blackrock A.C. needed something fresh to grow and the inspiration for Fit4Life soon followed.
Birth of Blackrock A.C. Fit4Life
In 2013, inspired by Bernie O’Connor’s success with Fit4Life in Galway, Gerry launched the programme in Blackrock. What began as one weekly session quickly grew into a strong community.
Early members like Patricia Ford, Dee O’Mahony, Michael Wood and Niamh Bolger progressed from short 5ks to completing their first marathons within just a few years.
For Gerry, watching these achievements, friendships grow and traditions like post-race coffees become part of the club’s culture has been as rewarding as his own running journey. Traditions include coffee in Insomnia on St Stephen’s Green after the Dublin Marathon, the Sunday coffee runs and the Christmas run among many others.
“They might sound like small things, but people often say those moments are the best part of the year,” Gerry explains, “these rituals gave the group a heartbeat and cemented the friendships that still drive the club today.”
Injuries, Setbacks and Determination
Gerry has carried almost every runner’s battle scar at some point, stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, niggles in his feet and more. The worst came in the early 90s, when plantar fasciitis sidelined him for months, right before his final exams. “It was probably the worst injury I’ve had. Anyone who’s had it knows how tricky it is,” he recalls.
Stress fractures were another recurring theme, each costing him six to eight weeks. But he always came back. “If you’re running marathons, you’ll probably meet every injury at some stage. The key is to manage it, take the time off and then come back smarter.” These moments forced him to reflect and showed him the value of patience, something that’s shaped his running outlook ever since.
Supporting Others
What Gerry rarely talks about is the time he gives back. In addition to his own training and racing, he’s a familiar face organising at BHAA events and club fixtures, quietly encouraging others to get involved.
Even when injury kept him from running, he found ways to support, like the Waterford Viking Races above, where he turned up with his leg propped up, handing out boosters and cheering runners home. It’s a small snapshot of a bigger picture, Gerry’s modest but consistent commitment to volunteering and helping others is every bit as impressive as his marathon tally.
The 50th Marathon Was Supposed to Be His Last
When Gerry reached his 50th marathon at Mullingar in 2021, he told everyone that was it. But it wasn’t. He explains it was partly fear, fear of letting go of the long runs that had anchored him for decades. It was also FOMO he admits. “If the group were training for Dublin (marathon) and I wasn’t, I’d feel I was missing out.”
What really tipped the balance was an accidental streak in 2023. Thanks to late entries into Tokyo and Boston, plus races like Longford and Kilkenny, he suddenly found himself doing a marathon every month for a year. “Once you’ve got January and February done, you start thinking, well, I might as well keep it going.”
It was exhausting, he admits, but proved that he could go well beyond 50, eventually pushing him towards the 60 he will celebrate this week.
Personal Bests
In addition to his 60 marathons, Gerry has clocked some impressive times over the years. Here are his personal bests across the distances:
- 5km: 18:21 – Lucan, 2020s
- 5 mile: 26:40 – Tullamore, 1992
- 10km: 35:33 – Ballyhaunis, 1992
- 10 mile: 65:00 – Craughwell, mid-1990s
- Half marathon: 78:11 – Carraroe, 1991
- Marathon: 3:09 – Dublin, 1989
- 50km: 4:07 – Portumna, 2015
Highlights From His Journey
Alongside his personal bests, Gerry counts the following among his proudest running achievements. While he’s run considerably around the world, he admits his favourite race experience was the New York City Marathon, the atmosphere, he says, is unbeatable.
- Completed the full six marathon majors set in 2023
- 50 marathon milestone also reached in 2023
- Two intervarsity bronze medals with UCG in 1989 and 1991
- Establishing the Fit4Life group within Blackrock A.C.
Why Marathons Still Matter
Gerry no longer runs for PBs. His times have slowed but his enjoyment has grown. “Running now is as much for my mental health as physical,” he says. “The community is amazing. If I stopped tomorrow, it’s the people I’d miss most.”
He’s proud of keeping his marathon average under four hours and quietly confesses he’d like to hit 75 next and get another 50k in somewhere else, having completed Donadea and Portumna 50ks previously.
More than numbers though, it’s about what running gives him day to day, balance, friendships and perspective. “Nowadays I like going a bit slower but I’m still enjoying it just as much.”
Advice for Runners
For beginners he says, “start slowly, keep it light, don’t take it too seriously. Talk to people around you. Enjoy the parkruns and the coffees. That’s what will keep you going.”
For seasoned runners “don’t put all your energy into the big day months in advance. Focus on your next long run, your next session. Enjoy the journey. That’s where the progress happens.”
One final message Gerry wants people to take from his story is that running isn’t about times, medals or even milestones like 60 marathons.
As he prepares for number 60 in Galway, Gerry knows the medals and finish times will fade. What lasts are the friendships, the coffees and the simple joy of being part of something bigger, perhaps the true legacy of his sixty marathons.