Marathon organisers retire race number in Archie's memory

Heartbroken parents Paula and Padraic Naughton have issued their thanks to the organisers of the Dublin City Marathon for retiring bib number 216 in memory of their late son Archie.

216 was the last bib number Archie had when he completed the marathon as an assisted runner in 2019. Archie was a huge fan of the race and completed it on three occasions before his untimely death in July at age 16.

Last Sunday, alongside an amazing group of loyal runners and friends of Join Our Boys Trust, Isaac Naughton completed the Irish Life Dublin City Marathon in memory of his late brother, Archie.

Mile 16 on the day was in his honour and memory and huge amounts of competitors wore something orange to remember Archie and all children dying of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

More importantly than ever, with Archie’s recent passing, the funds raised will help find a cure for DMD and support the ongoing objectives of the Trust.

On the day Irish Life Dublin City Marathon Race Director Jim Aughney, announced that bib number 216 would be retired in Archie Naughton’s memory. With a target of €5,000, donations to ‘Team Archie’ can still be made via a dedicated webpage.

In 2012, when Archie was six and the twins George and Isaac were two and a half, all three boys were diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

DMD is a catastrophic muscle wasting disease which will eventually impact on the boys’ ability to walk, use their limbs, or even hug the people they love. Those who live until their late teens are likely to become totally paralyzed and will eventually die of respiratory and or heart failure. George and Isaac are paralysed and in wheelchairs. They are now struggling to use their arms.

The aim of the “Join Our Boys Trust” is to fund research into finding a cure for DMD disease and to design and build a purpose-built house that will accommodate the family for as long as they require it.

Since the “Join Our Boys Trust” was established, enough money has been raised to build the house, in Roscommon. The marathon fundraiser is designed to help find a cure for DMD and support the ongoing objectives of the Trust.

Everyone can help find a cure for DMD and fulfil Archie’s dying wish by donating at https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/IssacandTeamArchierunningDCMforArchie