Football fanzine Student Till I Graduate (STIG) is entering two athletes in the 2006 Dublin City Marathon to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland (CF Ireland).

Going under the title of STIG for CF Ireland, John Craddock and Emmet Ryan will take part in the 26.2 mile race which takes place on October 30th. The pair are co-founders of the fanzine which covers a wide range of football related topics of both a serious and nature.

"It won’t be easy but we’re ready. We’ve been here before so we know what’s in store," said Craddock. The two participants have completed a combined 4 Dublin Marathons between them.

"We won’t be challenging the elite competitors but our experience over this distance will help," said Craddock. "We know how hard to push ourselves and how tough it can be."

"We’ve had our setbacks. I missed four months training with a hernia and that messed around with preparations for both of us," said Ryan.

"This is very much a team effort so not having a training partner hindered John’s preparations, but we’ve come back and we’re ready to go," he said.

"Remember we’re doing this for a great cause. CF Ireland do marvellous work and it didn’t take much thought for us to choose them," said Ryan. "I think the importance of what they do gave us the impetus to overcome the setbacks and get back in gear."

A blog charting the progress of the pair in the run up to the big day and covering their performance in the race itself is available at www.stigonline.com/mblog.htm

About STIG

STIG is a football fanzine founded in 2001 by a group of UCD fans. Initially starting out as a purely humour driven magazine the publication has in recent times investigated serious issues such as the third Genesis report and the distribution of grants to sporting organisations. STIG has produced more issues than any other in the history of Irish soccer having cleared the 50 issue mark in 2005.

Athlete profiles

John Craddock (left) and Emmet Ryan

John Craddock is a PhD engineering student in UCD, having graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 2003. Craddock has previously completed three Dublin City Marathons and recently finished 5th in his class at an international orienteering meet in Belgium.

Emmet Ryan is a freelance journalist based in Dublin. He graduated from UCD with a Bachelor of Commerce (International) degree in 2003 and from DCU with a Master of Arts degree in Journalism in 2005. Ryan previously completed the 2000 Dublin City Marathon and is an offensive lineman with the DCU Saints American Football team.

Contact us

Those wishing to contact STIG for CF Ireland for further information or to enquire about making a donation can do so by email.

Email: ucdafc@yahoo.ie