My name is Gary O’Daly and I’m a recreational distance runner from Maynooth in Co. Kildare with an interest in the history of the Inland Waterways of Ireland, particularly the Royal and Grand Canals.
Formerly a member of Dublin Bay Running Club, I now run with my local club Donadea RC.
I ran my first marathon in Dublin in 2012 and since then I’ve clocked up over 100 marathons including completing the 50k Irish National Championships 5 times, completing 5 marathons in 5 days at the EOI running festival in 2015, 100k Thames Path Challenge in 2017, London 2 Brighton 100k in 2018 and Donadea 100k in 2019.
I frequently train on the banks of the Royal Canal and in June 2019 I completed a full distance run of the Royal Canal (146km) in 20hours, 47minutes and 46 seconds setting the Fastest Known Time for a supported runner on the route. This time was surpassed on the 11th of December 2021 by Brian Fitzsimons, Eddie Garry, Paul Malone and Daragh Crowley in a time of 19:54:29
Royal Canal Runner 