Jonathan's 2007 Dublin City Marathon

Some Facts about the Marathon

- Total Distance of 26 miles and 385 yards or apx 42KM.

- That's about 39,000 Steps

- The first marathon was in 490 BC in  Pheidippides. A Greek soldier, ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to inform the Athenians the outcome of the battle with invading Persians.  

- The current world record is 2hrs and 4mins set by Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin in Cot '07.

- The Marathon first appearsed at the modern Olympics in 1896.

- Click here to see the weather forecast for the '07 Dublin Marathon

Many thanks for coming to the site and donating towards this worthy cause. The organisation I have chosen to raise funds for is Future Farmers. 

About Future Farmers

The Organisation is based in South Africa and has grown out of a partnership between the farming community in the country and the national HIV prevention campaign for young people, loveLife. The objectives of the organisation are 

1. To develop the skills of young South Africans to become leaders in the agriculture sector 
2. To Provide education and leadership in South African farming communities which are in the grips of a devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

Background

- A staggering 13.5% of 15-24 year-old South Africans living in Farming areas are infected with HIV. This figure is second only to urban slums in terms of infection levels. Information and education from young leaders within the community has proven to be the most successful way of combating the spread of HIV. 

- Since coming to power the ANC had been committed to returning white-owned farms to black claimants under the Black Economic Empowerment programme however so far only 4 per cent of the land has been transferred. 

- 95% of South African food production comes from the 45,000 white farms that employ large numbers of very low paid agricultural workers. Only the remaining 5% of food is produced by the 740,000 black owned farms. 

- A key difficulty for black farm owners going forward is the lack of large scale farming management experience and know-how. Helping young leaders in these communities develop the necessary skills will ensure a sustainable future for all those involved in the sector. 

What are your donations used for

The funds you are donating will be used to provide 

1. Year long placement and training programs for young black farmers to develop farm management capabilities .
2. To drive local HIV prevention campaigns, organise local events and drive community-based HIV projects. . 

All the funds raised are going dirctly to the community in South Africa. This charity works entirely on a voluntary basis so there are no administrative or other overheads.