Ally's marathon challenge in his father’s memory

Newry man Ally McKenzie is taking on the challenge of running the Jersey Marathon, the Dublin Marathon and the London Marathon, in the space of a few months, in memory of his father Dave and to raise funds for the Evora Hospice.

Whilst taking on the challenge, Ally will wear a bespoke running vest containing the image of Dave. The vests were designed by local sportswear brand Playr-Fit and contain the Newry City Runners logo, of which Ally is a member.

Ally McKenzie (left) is running three marathons in the space of five months in memory of his dad, Dave. He's pictured with Darren McPolin of Playr-Fit (who designed bespoke running vests) and his sister Jamiee-Lee.

placeholder image — Ally McKenzie (left) is running three marathons in the space of five months in memory of his dad, Dave. He's pictured with Darren McPolin of Playr-Fit (who designed bespoke running vests) and his sister Jamiee-Lee.

Ally is no stranger to taking on running challenges in aid of the Evora Hospice, as he ran 58 laps around the pitch of Newry City AFC’s Showgrounds stadium, totalling a distance of a half marathon in 2024.

For this challenge though, he will push himself to his limits for a cause close to his heart.

The late Dave McKenzie, who passed away in May.

“My dad was very fond of the Hospice,” said Ally. “He lost a close friend a few years ago, and he was in the Hospice most nights visiting him.

"He was always very keen on donating to the Hospice, so as a family we thought it would be a good idea to do a fundraiser for the Hospice in his memory.

“I had always planned to do the Dublin Marathon this year, at the end of October, for the Hospice. Then, I decided to do the London Marathon at the start of next year (April 2027). Then, I got the opportunity to run in the Jersey Marathon through the Runners’ World Magazine, which is at the start of October.

“It wasn’t intentional to do so many marathons in such a short space of time, but I am looking forward to it.”

Whilst Dave didn’t use the Evora Hospice services directly, Ally said that they offered Dave and the family “support and help.”

He continued: “They do great work for the people of Newry. It’s not like you have to have anyone up there in the Hospice, to avail of their services. I think it’s a vital service.”

Regarding the special running vests, Ally said that his family were ‘blown away’ by Playr-Fit’s design.

“I’m a member of Newry City Runners, so when I was getting the vest done it had to contain blue and yellow – our lucky colours,” he said.

“I wanted the Newry City Runners logo on it too. I rang Playr-Fit, as they have designed a few things in the past for me.

“I asked them ‘is there any chance that you can do something with dad’s picture on it?’ I wanted something that was unique and special for the events. Then, they came back with that design and it just blew us away, with how nice it was and how personal the whole thing was.

“They designed those for us and had them turned around pretty quickly, so we were delighted with them. They are busy making designs for football teams, especially at this time of year, so the fact that they took the time to make three or four vests for us was brilliant.

“I have a couple of cousins who are running alongside me in Dublin, so they’re also going to wear the vests with dad’s face on them, which is nice.”

If you would like to donate towards Ally’s fundraiser for the Evora Hospice, you can do so by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/page/davemckenzie-inmemoryof.