2 minute read
What’s making us smile
EDITORS PICKS WHAT WHAT'S MADE US MAKING US SMILE
Irish Runner magazine is dedicated to being a stress-free, smile-inducing quarterly, designed to uplift and motivate. And in each edition, we’ll be highlighting some of the people and achievements making us smile in the hope they’ll brighten your day too.
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GOING FOR GOLD
Sorry if we sound like a broken record (excuse the pun!), but we just can’t get enough of all the blistering Irish record breakers so far in 2022. With all the doom and gloom in the world currently, we’ve arguably never needed more reasons to smile. And Irish athletics has definitely risen to the challenge. From Molly Scott to Rhasidat Adeleke, Abdel Laadjel, Israel Olatunde, Nick Griggs, Clodagh Walsh and Darragh McElhinney to name just a few, it’s been one hell of a year – and it’s only April!
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THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Hebe Nicholls and Duncan Darby are both recovering alcoholics who met in rehab – and have found a special bond thanks to their love for running. Duncan was just two weeks out of detox – and hadn’t run in over a decade – when he volunteered to join Hebe on a run. Fast forward six months and the pair are a quarter of the way through their 12 in 12 challenge – 12 half marathons in the 12 months of 2022. That’s roughly 157 miles and 30 hours of running around the UK. Hebe and Duncan told Irish Runner: “This isn’t about running, but more about recovery. We want to inspire other people that anything is possible, that there is light at the end of the tunnel. In short, this is us trying to get our lives back and spread a little positivity along the way.” The pair also have a Just Giving page set up to help raise £1,200 to cover the costs of their challenge.
Molly Scott at the World Indoor Athletics Championships 2022
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RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
When dad-of-five Glen Kearney found himself homeless, he kept a note of every single act of kindness he was shown. And now the big-hearted Corkman is returning the favour with his own random acts of kindness in honour of everyone who supported him. Glen wrote a short note in a copybook about every single person who gave him a donation or food on the streets, and amassed 12 copybooks in total. He told Cork Red FM’s Neil Prendeville Show: “I always try to give something back. I give the guy who sells the Echo a coffee and a cookie. I get flowers for people every day and give them out. It is my way of saying thank you.”
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GOLDEN OLDIES
Tony Bowman is an 86-year-old athlete who has set his sights on running the 100 metres when he’s 100 – and living to 120! Tony, from Guiseley in West Yorkshire, has had two heart attacks and suffered heart failure three times, but he’d still put most people half his age to shame. He holds numerous records for sprinting in his age bracket and admits he still gets an ‘unbelievable adrenaline rush’ before every race. What a hero!
