Back 2 Boston Running Club building role models in local community

Back 2 Boston Running Club building role models in local community

Limerick’s newest running club, Back 2 Boston, is gearing up for its debut races this weekend as the group builds role models in their local community

The Back 2 Boston Running Club, has been making great strides in Limerick as the club now gears up for their debut runs this weekend in Kilkenny and Charleville.

Ahead of the milestone weekend for the club, the founder of the club, John Kinsella, opened up on his social media about the project and the importance of creating role models in the Southill community.

Speaking about the Back 2 Boston project and his own role models growing up, Kinsella said, “As you know, my uncles went to Boston, I grew up hearing their stories, but for me, one of my biggest influences was my uncle Freddie, a talented soccer player. He showed me what discipline looked like, what dedication felt like, and that it was possible to dream bigger than our surroundings.

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“Having him as a role model gave me hope and kept me on the right path. He’s also a massive Man Utd fan and I am happy to present him with the Back 2 Boston singlet signed by two Manchester Legends as a way of saying thanks for leading the way.”

The Limerick runner said growing up in Southill, it was “easy to get lost” if the wrong choices were made, noting what guided him were the “people I had to look up to”.

The club has grown to be more than a place for runners to meet, it has been giving local athletes the chance to be positive role models in their communities. John said in his social media post, “I’m also very excited to have two amazing young athletes from our own city —a talented runner and a promising boxer — who are proving what’s possible. They’re chasing their dreams, but more than that, they’re becoming role models for the next generation.

“Role models matter. They give us something real to believe in. And in communities like ours, that belief can change a young person’s life.
This is why I’ve started the Back 2 Boston Project. Through running, I want to help create more community ambassadors and role models — people who inspire, uplift, and show others that it’s possible.

“Because when you see someone from your own streets doing it… suddenly, it feels like you can too.”

John noted that while training for his first New York Marathon, he felt inspired while listening to the Frank Sinatra song, ‘New York, New York’, as he quoted, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

He said, “For me, that’s exactly how it feels growing up in our communities. If you can overcome the challenges here, if you can rise above the struggles and still chase your dreams, then you can carry that strength with you anywhere in the world. That’s why role models matter so much in places like this — they show us that making it here is possible, and if it’s possible here, it’s possible anywhere.”

The Back2Boston project is a community-driven initiative aimed at guiding runners from disadvantaged areas to show how the activity can change lives, with the overall aim of competing in the prestigious Boston Marathon.

Led by John Kinsella of Southill — the only man over 40 to have completed all six World Marathon Majors in under 2 hours and 30 minutes — the Back2Boston project brings together participants from Southill, Weston, Moyross and beyond. Many of these runners, some of whom will complete their first-ever race this weekend, will go on to set their sights on qualifying for the 2026 Boston Marathon.