Donegal woman running Burj2Burj Half Marathon for Kevin Bell Trust

A Donegal woman will undertake the Burj2Burj Half Marathon in aid of The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. 

Thirty-year-old Katie Tracey, from Ardveen, has been residing in Dubai for the last eight years. In 2021, her father, George, was tragically killed in an accident in Manchester, England. 

The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust was set up to alleviate the financial hardship of bereaved families repatriating the body of a loved one who has died abroad in sudden or tragic circumstances back to Ireland. 

The trust handled everything with care, bringing George home soon, which meant a lot at a tough time for the family. 

“When my dad was killed in the accident, it was a really difficult time for our family, especially because it was so sudden,” Katie tells DonegalLive.

“I had to make the journey home from the UAE at the time. I found it very hard for a long time to talk about it, so I suppose now I’m just ready to put our story out there so we can raise money for such an important cause.”

A GoFundMe has been set up, ‘Burj to Burj Half Marathon for KBRT’. Katie began running around April last year in preparation for the Burj2Burj half-marathon, which takes place on February 8. The 21.1km race begins at the world’s tallest building - the Burj Khalifa and follows a route leading to the Burj Al Arab.

“The Burj to Burj is such a big event in Dubai that I decided it was something I wanted to work towards,” she continues. “When I realised I could use it as a chance to raise money for Kevin Bell, it just felt right.

“I always knew I wanted to do something to give back to them after everything they did for our family, and to help other families who might unfortunately go through the same thing and running this half marathon felt like the perfect way to do that.”