A 26.2 mile marathon would have impressed. But James Greene has tagged on extra miles to set a course for an ultra marathon run in New York this Saturday, March 15.
James Greene, a trainee solicitor from Belfast, is planning to cover 32 miles in support of the Kevin Bell Trust.
The finishing line will be Rory Dolan's in Yonkers, outside or inside yet to be determined.
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust has a special tie to New York given as this is where Kevin lived when he sadly passed and I wished to do something personal for the trust," said Greene.
"It is for this reason, and given the high diaspora of Irish people across the world, I decided to embark on the run."
The Saturday run will start in Woodside, Queens where James once lived. It will end at the memorial bench dedicated to Kevin Bell outside Rory Dolan's.
Both James and Kevin lived and worked in New York on J1 Visas.
The run will take James through Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.
"The run is listed as 50 kilometers but is more likely to be 32 miles and it’s nice to think of it as a mile for every county helped by the Trust," said James.
"I had the idea of doing this run despite having never ran more than 10k (before training began) as the Trust’s work is something I was always conscious of given my own travels to New York on the J1 visa, like Kevin, and with so many of us having friends and family living abroad. It is a support we never want to have to rely on but it is a support which has helped so many.
Three friends from his New York days will run parts of the route with James.
"Gaelic Park is the last ‘site’ to visit before the run finishes at the memorial bench and I will be joined from there, across the line with the friends who joined me on the run."
James said that Kevin Bell was due to play in Gaelic Park the day that he passed for Armagh GAA , New York.
"I thought it was important to make this a stop given his connection to the GAA in New York and at home."
James said that In November 2024, the Trust repatriated its 2000th body "and unfortunately, seem to be getting busier- I suspect this is due to so many people traveling to experience ways of life and culture."
James said that his goal was to complete goal is to complete the run in around five hours, "but given the run is a solo ultramarathon - streets will not be closed for me - I will have to deal with traffic and pedestrians through the busy streets of New York which will add another layer to tackle."
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (KBRT) was established by the Bell family from Newry, County Down, after 26 Kevin Bell, aged 26, was killed in a suspected hit-and-run in New York in June 2013. The Trust helps families alleviate the cost of repatriating the remains of loved ones who have died around the world.
