36 AIT staff participated in the Dublin Staff Relay last Thursday in the Phoenix Park. In fact, AIT were defending champions from 2013 and the team also claimed third place in 2012. This magnificent event is four years in operation and AIT has competed every year. We claimed an impressive 4th place this year from 1,000 teams and 5,000 participants.
The AIT line up was as follows:
Seamus McCann, Olivia Ni Shuilleabhain, Luke Fannon, Katherine McLoughlin, Gordon Brett, Sean Cunningham, Thomas J O’ Donoghue, Karl Turley, Edel Murray, Joan Mannion, Sinead Bracken, Owen Ross, Aisling Keenan, Lorna Walsh, Amanda Ryan, Paul Archbold, Eoin Langan, Fiona Glynn, Luke Geever, Kieran Murray, Stephen Harney, Brian Lynch, Siobhan Kelly, Pearse Murphy, Mary Goode, Bernie Egan, Edel McNeela, Crevan O’Donnell, Paul McNamara, Olivia Corcoran, John Killion, Daniel Seery, Mary Bohan, Eileen Murray, Mazz Sweeney and Gerry Joyce.
The Dublin Staff Relay is Ireland’s most innovative team event which encourages workers from all over Dublin and its surrounds to join their colleagues in a fun 5 x 5km relay. The event see’s public service meet private sector, bankers join bakers, gardai take on waiters and nurses line up beside builders in this all encompassing mass participation event.
For one night every year temporary tents line the roads of the Phoenix Park to make up the ‘Staff Relay Village’. These tents act as company HQ where uniforms, overalls, suits, high heels and any talk of deadlines, objectives or sales figures is strictly forbidden. The only item on the agenda is employees letting their hair down, having fun and perhaps showing their competitors a thing or two in the playing field.
Entry was strictly limited to 5,000 participants and the event sold out, so early entry next year is encouraged.
How it worked
Each team comprised of five runners/walkers and each team member was responsible for a 5km leg of the relay. The final km of each leg passed through the ‘Staff Relay Village’ where our co-workers were waiting to cheer, encourage and in most cases rile us as we completed our relat leg. Along with providing a 5km course that that challenged runners of all abilities & ambitions from AIT, the Dublin Staff Relay is unrivalled in terms of building morale, camaraderie and teamwork in the workplace whilst having the craic! AIT certaintly is never beaten in the ‘craic competition’ each year!!
Former Irish Soccer International Jason McAteer was onsite at the event to add to the experience and to join in the merriment. AIT staff definitely had great fun and will definitely be back in 2015!!!
See the pictures from the 2014 AIT assault of the Dublin Staff Relay here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/59025979@N03/sets/72157644844732412/