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John Kinsella’s Southill Lap of Honour ahead of European Athletics Mountain Running Championships
Southill Lap of Honour organised by John Kinsella takes place this Sunday, May 19 at 11 am
A ‘Southill Lap of Honour’ is set to take place at 11 am this Sunday, May 19, starting outside the church in Southill “In memory of all the young people who are no longer with us”
This special event is organised by John Kinsella, an Irish International Mountain Runner and Southill native, who has inspired many since beginning his running journey in 2015.
At 42 years old, Kinsella has earned remarkable achievements in the world of athletics, including becoming the fastest Irish person to complete the World Marathon Majors.
Kinsella, who made the senior Irish Mountain Running team in April 2022 and recently joined the Irish team for the British and Irish Masters Cross Country in the over 35 category, shares his motivational journey with hundreds on the RunningLimerick social media handle and his YouTube channel.
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Having made his native Limerick proud since his journey began, John is honouring the young people who have sadly passed away in Southill by running a “Lap of Honour” as part of his warm-up for his trip to Annecy, France where he will represent Ireland in the European Athletics Mountain Running Championships.
Promoting the run on Instagram, John wrote about his plans ahead of the Annecy race, he said, “Before I go I am planning on doing a training session in my native Southill, but not just any session it will be a Lap of Honour around designated routes of Southill.
“In memory of all the young people who are no longer with us, many of those l grew up with.”
in March, John completed the Tokyo marathon which made him the fastest Irish person to complete the World Marathon Majors having run Boston, Berlin, New York, Chicago, and London marathons previously.
“Anytime I am in training for a big race my routine includes a jog through Southill this gives me great energy, perseverance when the going gets tough,” John wrote, adding, “I always think about the young people, some I grew up with who are not here anymore for many different reasons, some tragic.”
He says he always pictured those we have lost looking down on him, pushing him on as he proudly wears a “sleeve which holds the names of so many of those young people from Southill”.
He continued, “We walked the roads of Southill too many times behind hearses to the graveyards. This time let’s walk the same paths in memory to acknowledge/ remember those lost souls.”
The Irish International Mountain Runner noted he hopes to have some of his Irish teammates join him and also invites along anybody who wishes to share the “Southill Lap of Honour” with him ahead of his big race.
He closed out the message by saying, “If you are feeling fit you can take them on and see who can become ‘King of the Hill’. Come along to this very special event, best wishes John.”
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