I HAD the good fortune to be in Longford on the evening before the recent marathon in order to meet some English friends. Late in the evening someone asked me, almost in passing, what I thought of the nearby statue in honour of Longford runner Pat Fitzgerald, writes The Extra Miler.I was a little taken aback as I knew nothing about either the statue or the athlete in question.After the next pint, we all trooped out of the pub and headed for the memorial in question. Situated just off the main thoroughfare is a modern metallic sculpture in honour of Pat Fitzgerald who was born in Lisduff Hill, Co. Longford, in 1847.

He achieved both fame and a little fortune in America towards the end of the nineteenth century competing as a ‘pedestrian’ in the ultra-long distance races that were fashionable at the time. He broke the world record for the six-day race in New York in Madison Square Garden in 1884 and died at the age of 43 in Long Island, New York in 1900. If you’re ever in Longford the memorial is well worth a visit.