Connect with us

Community

Back2Boston runners aim for Regeneron Great Limerick Run milestone

Published

3 weeks ago

on

A group of Limerick people from across the city are aiming to complete the Regeneron Great Limerick Run through the Back2Boston project

A group of runners from across Limerick hope to mark their first major milestone in their Back2Boston journey with the Regeneron Great Limerick Run on Sunday, May 4

The Back2Boston project is a community-driven initiative aimed at guiding runners from disadvantaged areas

A group of Limerick people from across the city are aiming to complete the Regeneron Great Limerick Run on Sunday which will mark their first major milestone as part of the Back2Boston project.

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.


advertisement
advertisement


advertisement
advertisement


advertisement
advertisement


advertisement
advertisement


advertisement
advertisement


advertisement
advertisement

John Kinsella competed in this year's Boston Marathon and hopes to bring the Back2Boston group there some day.
John Kinsella competed in this year’s Boston Marathon and hopes to bring the Back2Boston group there some day.

 Kinsella told I Love Limerick, “The project I’ve been working on for the last couple of months has a lot of lads running the Regeneron Great Limerick Run on Sunday. There’ll be lads from all different parts of the city, from Southill, Weston, Moyross, and they’ll all be running under the Back 2 Boston project.”

The Back2Boston initiative follows in the footsteps of a similar effort in the 1980s led by Fr Joe Young and businessman Billy Higgins. The project combines mentorship, structured training, and fundraising to help runners overcome the significant financial barrier — a general Boston Marathon entry can cost up to $260, but with travel and accommodation, the cost can rise up to €10,000 with John explaining he would hope to help fundraise for the local runners to take on the event.

Kinsella’s mission is deeply personal as his running journey began at the age of 35 with the goal of losing weight, nine years later and six stone lighter, John became a Senior International Mountain Runner for Ireland, saying, “I spent 35 years thinking I wasn’t good enough,” noting that “running gave me a second chance. Now I want to open that door for others”.

Following the Regeneron Great Limerick Run 2025 are the Cork Marathon in June, followed by the Dublin Marathon in October, both of which are key qualifiers on the path to Boston.

Related Topics:

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.