Race around Ireland – Stayin’ Alive at 1.5

Frank Burke & Mick Foley will be taking part in the 2 man team Race around Ireland

We are Frank Burke and Mick Foley, both members of Racing 795 Triathlon Club and are from Bunclody, Co. Wexford.

We have entered a two man team into the Race Around Ireland

The Race Around Ireland is NON-STOP for 2,150 km (with 20,000m of climbing) around the whole of the island of Ireland. It has been listed as one of the World’s Toughest Endurance Events. The race begins on Sunday August 26th, 2018 in Trim Co. Meath and follows the course below (see map). It

incorporates some of the major climbs in the country including the Mamore Gap in Donegal, the Gap of Dunloe in Kerry and our own Mount Leinster. In order to be classified as a finisher, we must complete the course in less than 132 hours.

Race around Ireland route and elevation map.

Further details of the event can be found here

In order to complete this challenge, three support vehicles with a minimum of 8 support crew are required on the road all week. To date we have sourced a camper van and crew but we will need to rent or borrow further vehicles.

Fundraising

Raising funds for Wexford Hospice Homecare

It is our intention to raise money for charity and we have chosen County Wexford Hospice Homecare as our main Charity as part of our RAI.

County Wexford Hospice Homecare service was established in 1991 by a voluntary committee to provide a home based Specialist Palliative Care Service in County Wexford.
The service is provided by a team of Clinical Nurse Specialists and an Occupational Therapist. The specialist nursing service is in place 365 days a year to provide specialist palliative care ensuring that people who are coping with a life threatening illness can access appropriate homecare and support. The aim of the service is to enhance the palliative care of patients in the home / community setting and to support and assist their families and professional carers.

Supporting the safe passing message

We have also aligned ourselves with Safe Cycling Ireland and intend to promote the ‘Staying Alive at 1.5’ message during the RAI. The Staying Alive campaign aims to have 1.5 metres of overtaking space written into Irish law, in conjunction with a safety campaign.

Promoting the stayin’ Alive at 1.5 message.

Sponsorship

In order to promote our sponsors and charity, we intend to set up our own website and write a regular blog, which will be shared on our Facebook and twitter feeds. With the aid of Safe Cycling Ireland, we intend to promote our sponsors to a wide audience. The Staying Alive 1.5 Facebook page has more than 15,500 followers and the Race Around Ireland (RAI) has almost 7,500 followers. Racing 795 and Slaney Cycling Club (Mick is a member) also have a combined total of more than 2,500 followers. This gives sponsors and County Wexford Hospice Homecare a potential audience of more than 25,000. .
As you will appreciate, having three vehicles, 2 cyclists and 8 person volunteer support crew on the road for a week will involve a substantial cost. The main cost will involve fuelling the support vehicles and food for the crew and cyclists. While we are not entering this challenge for personal gain or fame, we would appreciate any help you can provide. We have already paid the entrance fee of €1,400, but we estimate that it will cost a further €2,500 to complete the race. All monies raised from sponsorship will go to the costs. Monies raised via charity events throughout the year will all go directly to Wexford Hospice Homecare. We have sought a Garda permit to fund raise in the town of Bunclody over the August Bank Holiday weekend along with a donation page within the Wexford Hospice Homecare website. While none of the charity money raised will be used to cover costs our twitter and Facebook feeds will be very active before and during the event and this will also benefit your company/business
In order to simplify the process of seeking sponsorship, we have designed 3 packages for your consideration:

The Gold package

1. Your company/business name can become the team name.
2. Company/business name will have prominence on our race jerseys.
3. Company/business name mentioned on our own website, blogs, Facebook page and Twitter feeds via weekly updates on our training and progress from March onwards and regular updates before and during the race itself.
4. Company/business name mentioned in all Facebook messages and tweets from Race Around Ireland in relation to team positions during the race.
5. Company/business name viewed by 15,500 followers on the Staying Alive at 1.5 social media feeds – two mentions per month from March to September
6. Cycle team commit to 3 promotional appearances (if required) with the Company/business
Total cost= €1,000

The Silver package

1. Company/business name present on our race jerseys.
2. Company/business name mentioned on our own website, blogs, Facebook page and Twitter feeds – 3 times per month from March to September
3. Company/business name viewed by 15,500 followers on the Staying Alive at 1.5 social media feeds – one mention per month from March to September
4. Cycle team commit to 2 promotional appearances (if required) with the Company/business
Total cost= €500

The Bronze package

1. Company/business name mentioned on our own website, blogs, Facebook page and Twitter feeds – 3 times per month from March to September.
2. Company/business name present on our race jerseys for the race.
3. Company/business name viewed by 15,500 followers on the Staying Alive at 1.5 social media feeds – one mention bi-monthly from March to September.
4. Cycle team commit to 1 promotional appearances (if required) with the Company/business
Total cost= €200
Of course, any amount of sponsorship outside the packages above will contribute to the success of our endeavour, and is more than welcome. Again we are not attempting this challenge for personal monetary gain and all monies raised over the costs will go directly to the charities.

Contact details

If you would like to discuss any of these options further or if you would like further information, please contact us at frankandmickrai@gmail.com or ring Mick on 087-9027 617 or Frank on 087-7446 475
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and we hope you will see this as an opportunity to promote your company/business while helping County Wexford Hospice Homecare.
Kind regards,

Frank & Mick