Sanctuary Runners will once again be a charity partner of Morton Games. In 2024 Sanctuary Runners became the very first charity partner of Morton Games, a World Athletics Continental tour meet. The renewal of the partnership was announced on, Friday May 23rd, at the Morton Stadium Dublin attended by Michael Darragh Macauley, CEO of Sanctuary Runners, athlete Malcom Kiplagat, who started his athletics journey with Sanctuary Runners before becoming a member of Clonliffe Harriers AC, Michael Kearney, President of Clonliffe Harriers and Noel Guiden, Meet Director of Morton Games.
Sanctuary Runners, founded 7 years ago, is a solidarity-through-sport initiative which uses running, jogging and walking to bring together asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and all Irish residents. Their familiar blue T-shirt is now a staple at road racing events throughout the length and breadth of Ireland. Many Sanctuary Runners have used athletics as a gateway into their new communities and now have been accepted with open arms as members of the wider athletics community.
In announcing the partnership Noel Guiden, Meet Director of Morton Games said: “last year was our first charity partnership with Sanctuary Runners, we are delighted to renew that partnership for 2025. Our friends from Sanctuary Runners have added enormously to our sport bringing diversity, friendship and some amazing talent into the world of athletics in Ireland. Morton Games as an international athletics meet welcomes athletes from all corners of the world to Dublin each summer and we are therefore delighted to welcome our friends from Sanctuary Runners to be our guests on July 11th Morton Games.”
Former Dublin footballer Michael Darragh Macauley, the CEO of Sanctuary Runners at today’s announcement said: “ We are incredibly proud to partner with Morton Games for 2025 – an iconic event that, like Sanctuary Runners, celebrates unity, inclusion, and the power of sport to bring people together. We look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with athletes and supporters from all walks of life at this world-class event.’
Sanctuary Runners will be guests of Morton Games on July 11th in Morton Stadium and will have an information booth to further spread the message of solidarity, friendship and respect. With sustainability being of huge importance there will also be the opportunity on the night for athletics fans to do something positive on sustainability, and in the process to provide for our friends from Sanctuary Runners, with a collection facility available so that spectators on the night can donate training shoes to Sanctuary Runners. Those shoes will have a second life on the feet of a Sanctuary Runner!
You will find further details of both organisations on their websites: https://sanctuaryrunners.ie/ https://www.mortongames.ie/
Morton Games takes place on Friday, July 11 at the Morton Stadium Dublin with a full programme of international athletics events including the iconic Morton Mile. E tickets, as part of the sustainability drive, are now on sale https://eventmaster.ie/event/vvR6SPoSb4