As 2017 comes to an end and 2018 begins, I’m prompted to reflect and give thanks to God for another year, and for the gift of running. On 29th October, in the Dublin marathon, aged 35, I competed in the masters category for the first time – and as I did so, aware that I’m getting older, I looked back in gratitude for almost a lifetime of running. I made a conscious effort to enjoy the Dublin marathon this year, in particular the great buzz of the race which has become known as “the friendly marathon”, and the encounters and conversations which I had with fellow runners on the day.
For almost twenty-five years running has been a big part of my life. It has been an ever present and necessary element in my life for most of that time, helping maintain my mental health during the highs and the lows, the challenges and the trials. It also gives me an opportunity to connect with God, to pray and reflect. Over the past five years I’ve competed in six marathons, three in Dublin, two in Rome and one in Frankfurt. For me training for and competing in these events has given me joy and peace. I’ve especially enjoyed embarking on long training runs in solitude, close to nature, giving me an opportunity always to be grateful and to give thanks to God for the gift of my life, my health, and my talents and abilities.
My experience in 2011-2012 while living in Rome and attending the Emmanuel School of Mission certainly taught me to be in gratitude for my gifts, and to strive to live in the present moment. It was there that I rediscovered the joy of running in my life, when training in the early mornings or during sunny siesta time, at the Villa Doria Pamphili, the largest landscaped park in the city. I ran my first and fastest marathon in Dublin a few months after returning from my year in Rome, which I’m still especially grateful for.
Over the past fifteen years that I’ve been a Senior athlete I have mostly run for enjoyment. I like setting targets though and giving it all in competition. I recall fondly many happy memories and milestones in my running journey. I remember especially my proudest moment in running when approaching my 20th birthday in February 2002, I won the AAI Intermediate Men Cross Country Championships of Ireland in Stranorlar, Co. Donegal. Having finished in fourth place in the Novice Championships a few months earlier, I was determined to give it everything in that 10,000 metres race. It was wet, windy, and muddy in Donegal that day but I relished those conditions. I trained hard on hills and was well prepared!
I have many happy memories of my teenage years competing as a juvenile athlete with Mullingar Harriers and later in Intervarsity competition with University of Limerick. Running gave me my first trip abroad when I competed with a UL squad in Harvard University in the Spring of 2001. I recall too my earliest running days competing for Castlerea Athletic Club. The running milestones are signposts to me to recall other events in my life, to look back with gratitude and to look forward with courage, hope and anticipation to the future.
In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications I speak in more detail about about my passion for running and explain why it’s such a life-giving experience for me.
