WATCH Get Southill Moving programme celebrates its first 5K run

Get Southill Moving programme celebrates its first 5K run – pictured above it John Kinsella (in purple) and Suzi Cronin, Southill Hub (far right) with participants

Residents of Southill have taken part in the Southill Hub 5K run as part of the ‘Get Southill Moving’ programme with John Kinsella

Residents in Southill have joined together for the final week of the ‘Get Southill Moving’ programme with Back 2 Boston runner and coach, John Kinsella, where participants took on their first 5K run from Southill Hub following weeks of training.

The initiative, held at Southill Hub and supported by Limerick City Partnership, aimed to improve physical and mental health within the community.

John Kinsella told I Love Limerick, “ I’m here outside the Southill Hub, and we are doing the Get South Hill Moving programme. We’ve been doing it for the last five weeks, and it’s the end of the road for many people.

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

advertisement
advertisement

They’re going to complete their first 5K, and during the last couple of weeks, they’ve been here building consistency and showing up every week. The weather has been good for the last five weeks, but today we have a little bit of rain, but it’s not going to stop anybody!”

John, who had been coaching participants throughout the 5-week programme, said he believes it is “the start of something positive,” with many participants achieving goals they once thought impossible.

He said, “ They’ve been showing up, helping out each other, and this event is very important for the Southhill community today. It gets people together. It’s good for their health, their mental health, and their general fitness. Hopefully, today is the start of something positive.

“When many of these people turned up at the start, they didn’t believe they could do it, and now they’re going to get a chance to complete a 5K today. And this will be, hopefully, the first step in a chapter that can lead them to maybe the Great Limerick Run next and a couple of other races.”

John added, “I want to say a special thanks to our local Garda who have been a tower of support for this project.”

Born and raised in Southill, John entered the 2015 Great Limerick Run with two goals in mind: To lose weight, and to reach the finish line.

 ”I stood on the start line at the run back in 2015, I wasn’t expecting anything,” John told I Love Limerick, adding, “I just wanted to finish it. And I ended up running a fast time, and people said, ‘Whoa, that’s an amazing time, if you keep running and training, you could probably qualify for Boston.'”

John accomplished both goals, losing four stone before the race – going on to lose six stone in total, almost 32 kilograms – and finishing the run with an impressive time, which motivated him to take his newfound love for running to a new level.

John has since gone on to become a decorated runner representing Ireland and coaching Limerick long-distance runner, Ava Crean.

John also aimed to spread his love for running in the local community with his Back2Boston project, 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, 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.

Suzi Cronin of Southill Hub spoke about the Get Southill Moving project saying, “ It is an initiative to get people in the community moving, and there is an element of getting prepared for the Regeneron Great Limerick Run. We’re very excited that today is our showcase of the last six weeks of training, and we have so many people in the community who are participating. And we also have a fun run for kids, which is another great initiative, as they can participate in the training every week!”

The Get Southill Moving programme was supported by SICAP and Limerick City Partnership, with Suzi giving a special thanks to John for his dedication to the programme. She said, “John Kinsella  has been working with us over the past six weeks, planning a route and making sure that runners are getting their warmups and their training elements to a T for the 5K today. He’s a local, and he’s very enthused about being a part of this programme, and we’re delighted to have him!”