Mullingar hero honoured at People of the Year awards

The Mullingar man who saved the life of a runner in the Dublin City Marathon – and still went on to finish the run - was on Saturday named as winner of one of this year’s People of the Year awards.

Ken Maleady won the ‘Everyday Hero’ title, awarded in association with RTÉ Radio One’s Ray D’Arcy Show.

At the awards ceremony, a black-tie event in the Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel on Saturday evening, attendees heard that in October, Mary and Alan Leech from Mullingar approached the Dublin City Marathon with great enthusiasm, training for months and looking forward to the race.

Ken and Alan had played football together in their younger years and hadn’t seen each other in over ten years.

Before the race Ken met Alan and they had a quick chat and wished each other well in the race.

Ken and Mary ran together for a while and then passed each other often as the race went on.

Coming to the one of the final stretches, Ken noticed someone has collapsed, when he looked, it was Mary.

Ken is an emergency cardiology nurse practitioner and an advanced life support provider. Mary’s heart had stopped. He started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and advised a first aider to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as Mary had no pulse.

Ken continued with mouth-to-mouth until the defibrillator arrived.  Ken applied the defibrillator and resuscitation continued. Ken inserted an intravenous drip and started intravenous fluids.

 In the third cycle of CPR, Ken checked for heart rhythm, Mary’s heart was beating, fast and irregular.

Once Mary was safely in the ambulance, Ken continued his race and finished the marathon in a very respectable time of four hours and twelve minutes.

Mary made a full recovery and there will be no long term side effects due to the quick response of Ken.

At the awards ceremony, presented by Gráinne Seoige, along with reporter Aidan Power and broadcast live on RTÉ One television on Saturday, Paul O’Connell was named as Sports Person of the Year, and the Yes Equality campaign was recognised with the Community Group of the Year award.

Father Brendan McBride and Philip Grant were honoured with International Person of the Year Award

 

Founders of Hugh’s House Ade Stack and Martin Curley, John Evoy of the Irish Association of Men’s Sheds, Fadhila Hajji, Aoibheann Mangan and Padraic Godwin (winners of the Young Person of the Year Award), and Óglaigh na hÉireann for the work of the Irish Naval Service were also celebrated at the awards.